


The Ballad Of Atlantis

by Kim448



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Haruhi being seductive, Lots of moments with all the hosts, Siren, cute moments, for once, lots of fluff, secret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26447221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kim448/pseuds/Kim448
Summary: Haruhi saved those girls from those creepy men, but at what cost? During the events of the Sun, the Sea and the Host Club, Haruhi is turned into a siren, creature of the ocean. How will she go on now? Evading everyone's suspicions and keeping her secret, Haruhi must find a cure. *Rewrite of A Sirens Curse*
Relationships: Fujioka Haruhi & The Ouran High School Host Club, Fujioka Haruhi/Everyone, Fujioka Haruhi/Nekozawa Umehito, Nekozawa Kirimi & Nekozawa Umehito
Comments: 15
Kudos: 39





	1. How It All Began (Prologue)

"Toshi! Get back here this instant!" A woman yelled as a man, perhaps 25, ran past her, out the door. He ran and ran until he was no longer in her sight.

Tears streamed down his face, like a cascading waterfall. He appeared to be very distraught as he found an area to sit on. Taking in his surroundings, he realized he was at the beach, the moon casting its ethereal glow upon the vast sea ahead of him. _I was in such a hurry, I didn't even realize where I ran to._

_"You sit, alone, with no, place to call home..."_

The boy looked up, searching for the source of the strange, beautiful song.

" _Oh, you poor, lonely soul..."_

 _"_ Hello? Is anyone there?" He asked, looking into the vast darkness that was the ocean at night. Just as he was about to call out again, as if in trance, he walked forward, edging closer and closer into the ocean.

 _"You seek relief..."_ he slowly walked closer into the ocean until his entire body (minus his head) was submerged in the water. He came face to face with a beautiful young girl, maybe in her mid-teens, as she sang delightfully into his ears. She smiled kindly, her teeth straight and white, and he relaxed. He felt strangely content... _safe._ However, as soon as he let his guard down, her smile turned malicious as she pulled him closer and sang against his lips—

_"But your eyes deceive..."_

He blacked out.

"That's just one of the few victims who have mysteriously been discovered on or near the shore of local beaches. Experts say there is still no definitive cause for the comatose state of the victims, and police are still investigating. The public has had many questions, as well as many theories. Could this be the effect of some undiagnosed disease? Or perhaps the black market finding new, unwilling organ donors? Believers in the occult claim this may be the work of the Greek mythical creature, the siren, though skeptics disagree. Be sure to tune in on our segment on sirens coming up after this short brea—"

"Oi boss," Hikaru called.

"Could you turn that down?" Kaoru continued.

"Yeah, that's like the fifth one in the past two weeks." Karou nodded, in agreement with his brother.

"Quiet you unscrupulous twins! Don't you know it's important to stay informed in modern affairs?" Tamaki whined, pushing a stray hair away from his face, and action which caused all his customers to swoon.

"Oh, Tamaki-senpai...It's so scary! To think a trip to the beach could end with being stuck in a hospital for days on end..." one girl cried out, looking downwards.

"Don't worry my princess," he replied, tilting her head upwards, hand placed gingerly on her chin. "As long as we're together, I won't allow any harm to come to you."

The girl (along with a few other customers) squealed at this action, a few even getting nosebleeds.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Karou piped up, leaning against the sofa. "The victims are all male and each of them woke up exactly 1 day later with no recollection of what had happened the night before."

"As long as none of us go to the beach at night, we should be fine! Right, Takashi?" Hunny asked, smiling enthusiastically at his cousin.

He nodded silently, his eyes speaking for him. _You should still be careful, Mitskuni._

"Don't worry Takashi, I'm always careful! Look, I'll even carry some cake with me wherever I go, so I can distract whoever's been doing these bad things and get away! Though...maybe I shouldn't take too much cake, or else they might get greedy and eat it all... though I would want some cake too so I guess we'd have to go two-sies...?"

As the host club continued to chatter away, Haruhi reflected on how all this came to be.

—

I sang my normal song to lure the innocent boy into the lonely ocean. I couldn't help but feel bad doing this, though if I didn't, I'd starve to death. As soon as he got close, I went in for the kill.

—not that I ACTUALLY killed him, I just stole some of his life source, meaning I'd made his life span shorter— not that that's any better. It tasted like black tea— _3 years taken._

You're probably wondering how this happened. How I, Haruhi Fujioka, scholarship student, have become this...this _creature_.

It's really not as complicated as you may think. It all started when the Host Club and I went to the beach. There were some thugs that decided to try and hit on some of the ladies. I tried to stop them, but I fell into the ocean. What the others don't know is that in that split-second I was underwater, something came towards me.

It was... I can't describe it. Now, I don't believe in these kinds of things, but there was no other way to describe it. He seemed to be a mermaid with the voice of a siren—melodic, enchanting. He gave me a deep kiss, and then said something I couldn't quite hear as clearly as his singing. But reading his lips, I assume he said "I'm finally free." He then had this face-splitting smile on and after that, I was pulled out of the ocean. I didn't even remember that until I got this... ability.

I had then started getting concerned about my weight. The Hosts didn't notice under my uniform, but I've gotten much skinnier. I was becoming just bones and skin. I didn't have much of an appetite, and even when I tried to eat, I barely gained weight. The food tasted bland. I even got fancy tuna from one of my designators, but somehow, it stopped tasting good.

Then, one fateful day, I felt the urge to sing. I didn't know why, I wasn't all that musical like Tamaki-senpai, but I felt I _needed_ to sing. Kind of like the need to stretch, or yawn. I was in a supermarket in an area with nobody near. It was late at night, and I needed to get some toothpaste as I had run out and been to busy to get some. I opened my mouth, and what came out was very strange to me.

I didn't recognize the song, and it sounded too beautiful to be my voice. I listened to the lyrics I involuntarily sang, and it was a song about sirens. It was about how a lonely person got lured by a siren and she was happy to be freed, but he had to bear her curse. Then, he seemed to have forgotten everything except how to pass on the curse through song. Then, another person gets it and in the end, it's just a never-ending cycle of pain and heartbreak.

Again I had never heard this song, and somehow I wasn't freaking out as much as I should be. Then, I turned around and saw the only other person there (the cashier), seemingly in trace. I don't know what force possessed me to do what I did next, but I went up to him and placed my hand on his chest, and gave him a deep kiss. It was weird, as there were no feelings in the kiss, instead I felt like I ate the best meal of my life after starving for years.

He then passed out, and I became frightened. I had the aftertaste of cinnamon in my mouth, and a number ran through my head— _8 years taken_. Thankfully, there were no security cameras nearby, so I didn't have to worry about being caught on tape.

I later learned what I was (through extensive research on mythical creatures)— a mermaid siren. A creature that takes on the form of half-human-half-fish and preys on innocent men.

I learned how I transform into my 'true form' after an incident at a party. It was one of my dad's coworkers birthday, and dad really wanted me to go to introduce me to some of his friends. It just so happened this particular coworker was pretty well off and had a 12-foot deep in-ground pool which we spent some time swimming in... _rich people._ When my dad and his friends went to go see something, perhaps to go chat in private, it happened. I was walking around the perimeter of the pool, lost in my own head. I guess my foot slipped and the next thing I knew, I was underwater. After I had processed what had happened, I felt strange. Looking down, instead of legs, I had a fishtail! I nearly screamed, but I didn't want dad to hear. I quickly got a nearby towel and got out of the water. I was relieved to see I changed right back, though the bottom of my bathing suit was ripped.

After that, I had to feed every week.


	2. Kyoya’s Trance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Kyoya’s Reluctant Day Out? But why is Haruhi acting so strange...?

" _Kyoya, I just had an incredible idea!"_

I opened my eyes blearily. Where am I? There seems to be a crowd of commoners. I was just at home, sleeping until a moment ago. Wait... no, I wasn't... Tamaki was shouting about something... _that idiot_. As I remember, he wanted to visit an exhibit or something like that.

" _Doesn't that sound interesting, Kyoya? The underprivileged commoners hold special events like this once in a while to ease the emptiness of being unable to travel." The idiot said. The whole Host Club (excluding Haruhi) was in my room._

_"By obtaining notable products from different regions, they are able to somewhat enjoy the feeling of traveling!" He then rattled on about understanding Haruhi better and that we should go. I, of course, refused, and promptly fell back asleep. I_ did _go to sleep at 5 A.M last night._

Then I was forcibly being dressed, dragged, dropped, and am now here. _So that's what happened._ I turned around, noting I was in Izumi Shopping Center. I reached into my pocket. I'll call a car to come to pick me up, seeing as how I'm not within walking distance of home. I felt around for nothing. _I don't have my wallet or my phone_. I quickly put a glare on my glasses, masking my eyes. Just then, my stomach rumbled. _Great, just great_.

I turned back around. What was I to do now? Was the idiot even still here? I felt something hit my legs. Looking down, I saw a young commoner child bump into me. He looked up, apologizing. He looked fearful for a second. _I wonder why that is_. I realized I had forgotten to leave the glare on my glasses, letting him see my irritation, unmasked. He quickly ran away, yelling for his mother.

Ok, back to the task at hand. What could I do? Just then, I heard a familiar voice. "Kyoya-senpai? What are you doing here?" It was Haruhi. She was wearing something a bit more feminine for a change, and I must say, it suited her nicely ( _though knowing the others, they would insist she wear something fit for a queen_ ). I shook away those thoughts, trying to find a way to use the situation to my advantage... _a-ha!_

Noticing I was slouching, I fixed my posture. _An Ootori doesn't slouch_. I put my index finger and thumb on my chin, contemplating. "Haruhi, how much money do you have on you?" She made a confused noise.

"Kyoya-senpai, are you sure you're okay with eating here?" She asked. We were currently in the fast-food area in the food court. "There's a restaurant upstairs if you want to go there...?"

Though that sounded like a better option, money was limited as of right now. "You don't have much on you, so we have little choice." I reasoned.

"Oh, make sure to get a receipt," I said. My face turned sour, recalling how a _certain annoying blonde_ put me in this current predicament. "I'm going to make Tamaki pay you back tenfold later."

I could hear her cower behind me. It took a bit of effort not to grin at the effect my words had on her. I would die before I'd ever say it out loud, but it's just like the others say— she _is_ quite cute sometimes. I looked back over to her. She seemed to be regretting her decision to come here.

"Haruhi, how do you place your order here?" I disliked asking for assistance, but even _I_ am uneducated in the world of commoners. _There's just simply no merit to it._

She quickly padded over to me. "I'll do the ordering. So, what would you like?" I felt her look up to me with her big chocolate-colored eyes. I kept looking at the menu. There wasn't anything I disliked to the point where I wouldn't eat it, so I answered "anything's fine, just make sure there's lots of it."

"Okay... this one, this one, and some fries." She pointed to each of what she was saying on the menu. If the others were here, they would've glomped her 6 times over by now. Even I'm having a bit of trouble controlling my facial expressions. _Cuteness causes aggression after all._

I felt someone staring at me with _desire...?_ I noticed it was the cashier. I felt her aura change a bit. She seemed to be a little more... pleasant.

"Welcome, can I recommend our new dessert as well?" I could already tell she would be a nuisance.

I replied coolly, "no, I don't need anything sweet." Hopefully, she'll stop, for her own good. I was _not_ having it today. But to my dismay, that may have made it worse.

"Well then, we also have a new shake here..." I cut her off with my glare. Lady or not, she will face my wrath. I was not in the best of moods right now.

"I said I didn't want anything." She and Haruhi both seemed intimidated, though the cashier was more so.

Haruhi calmly asked, "excuse me, I need a receipt please?"

After we did that, we sat down to eat. I set the tray down. "Kyoya-senpai," Haruhi started, "I know you're in a bad mood but you could have told her some other way, right?" I grabbed a hamburger, knowing where she was going with this. "She was only doing her job."

I paused, formulating a response. "Giving excessive service isn't necessarily the right way to wait on costumers." I took a bite of the hamburger. I ate happily, but soon felt I was being watched again. It was coming from Haruhi. _She probably just has a question_. I looked to her eyes, which were surely filled with curiosity. But they weren't; while they had curiosity, it was mixed with a strange glint. Almost akin to... _lust_.

I raised my eyebrows questioningly. That seemed to snap her out of her trance. "Sorry, I skipped breakfast this morning. Just hungry." I nodded. That was... peculiar. _Is she lying?_ Haruhi is usually so put together, I find it strange that she'd skip such an important meal. Even if her excuse was true, that glint in her eye _is_ rather strange. I've only recently begun to notice it, but now that I have, it's all I _can_ notice. _I'll have to look into this later._

"You shouldn't skip out on your meals, Haruhi. I'm sure Ranka would have a fit if he heard you say that." I smirked at her, eyes alight with amusement, with an undertone of suspicion.

She changed the subject, "You're eating with unexpected gusto. I expected you to eat in a more refined manner." I looked at her. That got me interested.

"Well, it's only natural, seeing as how I haven't eaten this morning," _because of that idiot Tamaki,_ I added mentally, "And even still, certainly you didn't believe I wouldn't be grateful for the food others got me?"

"No..." she denied, avoiding my eyes. I explained to her that there would be no benefits from acting refined in a place like this.

I then noticed a trio of girls coming this way. They seemed to be appraising me for my looks. They approached us.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry to interrupt." One of the girls asked. "I was wondering if you were using this chair...can my friends borrow it?"

"Go ahead," I replied curtly. They squealed in their high-pitched voices, saying things such as, "yay, thank you so much!"

"You're quite welcome," I replied, brushing off the encounter,

I felt Haruhi's demeanor change, as though she realized something. "Does he really get this indifferent when there's nothing in it for him?" I heard her mumble. I pretended I heard nothing. Judging by the look on her face, she was thinking about a certain idiot. I could tell she was probably going to wonder why Tamaki and I got along so well.

"If you're wondering why Tamaki and I get along so well," I started. I nearly smirked at her surprised face. _She wears her heart on her sleeve._ "The answer is quite simple— because it's in my interest. I won't act for any other reasons. I am an egoist after all." It wasn't a complete lie. It was half-true.

"Tamaki would cry if he heard you say that." She said with a smile.

I explained that he knew and was fine with it. I told her in fact, everyone knew we all hung out together because it was in our best interests. I then reminded her that Tamaki was much more selfless than I; that we aren't similar at all. She looked unbelieving of that last statement. _I'll find a way to reinforce that later._

While we were walking around and looking at things, she suddenly asked me, "what's your family like?" I was slightly taken off guard.

"There's nothing you need to know about my family," I answered simply. I walked ahead of her. It was a bit crowded, and we nearly got separated. I held her hand– it would probably be the first and only time I'd ever be able to. Her hand was so small in comparison to mine and I quickly felt tingles shoot up my arm and then all around my body... I quickly ignored the feeling, it was most likely one of the side effects of being on a commoner store for so long. She looked surprised for a second, but didn't protest, we looked at the displays again, the only difference was the fire I was briefly engulfed in.

"Kyoya-senpai, I know you have two older brothers. What are they like?" I stopped for a second, taken aback from the suddenness of her question. Should I answer this truthfully? Then, I was taken into a flashback of a gathering my father held where he presented my brothers and I. I had overheard a couple gossiping about how my oldest brother would inherit everything, and no matter how handsome I was, I would never stand a chance; how I would be left with nothing...no matter how hard I tried.

"They are exceptional men." I finally answered. I looked at her, noticing something was wrong. Her eyes were glassy, and she seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Haruhi, what's wrong?" I asked, cursing myself as a small bit of concern slipped into my voice.

She snapped out of it, wiping her eyes, "ah, it's nothing. It's just that..." she trailed off.

I raised my eyebrows, gesturing for her to continue. She looked me in the eyes, a certain fire burning in them. Finally, she answered, "Others have such little faith in you, senpai." I was caught so off-guard my eyes widened in shock. There was no way for her to know what I had just been thinking— where did this come from?

Quickly readjusting my glasses, I spoke, "oh? And who are the other you speak of?" I asked. She seemed to lose her fire at that.

"I don't know, it's just something that came to me just now. Never mind that." She smiled nervously. Suddenly, she seemed to regain her confidence. "Actually, I'm just remembering something Tamaki-senpai said to me. He told me how hard you're working even as the third son. He said you try your best even though people seem to have such little faith in you." She explained.

She seemed too confident about her answer, I had to believe her. Haruhi's dad said she's a terrible liar, even going as far as giving me many detailed examples of such. Coming up with that on the spot would be impossible for her. Still, for a second I thought... no, now I'm just being silly. Though I would have to scold Tamaki for telling her something like that.

After a while of holding hands, I let go. The crowds had cleared up, fewer people being nearby. It would be strange for me to continue to hold her hand in such a situation. I noticed a woman exclaim, "Oh my, pieces by Komatsu Shoin?" That caught my attention. What was something like that doing at a commoners' shopping center?

"Imagine, seeing them here?" She continued. The salesmen smiled.

"Madam, you have a sharp eye." I immediately noticed something wasn't right. I narrowed my eyes. "Senpai?" I heard Haruhi say, confused.

"Yes, Komatsu Shoin's pieces have such a nice color, don't they?" The salesmen continued. "To tell you the truth," he said, looking around suspiciously, "these are pieces I'm not supposed to have here. These are valuable items, which were not supposed to have been had outside of the Komatsu family for generations."

"Oh my..." she said, interested. I slowly walked over. I had to stop this before it went too far.

"These are fakes, madam," I told her confidently. She looked at me questioningly.

"W-what did you say?" The salesmen stuttered. "Stop messing around, you're just a kid!" Hm. Trying to bring my age into this to make my judgment invalid...typical.

Now that I was closer, I looked for something to back up my claim that it's a fake. Finally, something caught my eye.

"It's true, the way the blue comes out is very similar to Shoin's work. But an authentic piece would have a darker gradation around the base, and this lacquer is too clear." The salesmen looked fearful.

"I'm going to report you for obstructing my business! What school do you go to, you delinquent?!" He tried to threaten me. I calmly turned it over, noting I had a large crowd of people now watching.

"Ah, I knew it," I said. "One of the strokes in the seal on the bottom is off," I commented. "If this is authentic, there should be a certificate." I turned to him, "shall we do a handwriting analysis on it?" I threatened.

"I-I left it back at my shop..." he tried weakly. If anything, that made me even smugger.

"Ah, in that case, my family has dealings with the Komatsu's going way back. I could have them contact them right now, and have them verify these. Would that be alright?" I finished.

As I expected him to feel cornered and give up, I was unprepared for the sudden pain on my right side of my face. "You little shit!" Everyone became quiet. I forgot to take it into account that he may not take well to me exposing his fake business. I berated myself at this grave miscalculation.

He began to kick and punch me. As he continued to assault me, I noticed security come over. I tried to grab his arm, but it was all in vain. _Irrational strength,_ I recognized— Strength given by pure emotion and adrenaline. Even security couldn't get him off of me.

Then, something strange happened. I noticed Haruhi grab his arm. She seemed to grab his attention and somehow hold that attention, along with everyone here. She then gave him the most intense gaze I'd ever seen on a person. I felt as though I was drowning in her eyes. Though of average color, something was so enamoring, so... _strange_ about the way they shone in the bright light of the commoner's store. The man let go of me, approaching her. I felt a flash of fear, breaking out of the trance. _Would he hurt her_? That action seemed to break everyone out of their trance, as security quickly grabbed him and took legal measures.

Everything after that moment was a blur. I remember security asking if I wished to press charges, but I declined. It wasn't worth the headache, and Haruhi seemed to just want to go home. There was something about her eyes that I couldn't say no to.

The woman was thanking me profusely. I looked at her hand. _That's my chance_. As I was speaking humbly with her, I heard someone speak. "After everything you told me, senpai," Haruhi piped up, "stepping in on a complete stranger's behalf seems to be a little out of character for you.

"Oh, that? Well now, she is hardly a stranger." I smirked at her confusion. "You mean you don't know? Her husband is the CEO of a major electronics company." She looked like realization struck her in the face. "This is my first time meeting her personally, but that ring on her left hand is unmistakable." I motioned to the large red gem on her ring finger, "my family has dealings with her husband's company."

Just then, the woman came up to us after speaking with what seemed to be the manager. "Ah, one of the Ootori boys, imagine running into you here, incognito. The next opportunity I have, I'll be sure to take advantage of one of your family's beautiful health resorts." She smiled. I smiled back.

"We'd be honored." There, I found a way to reinforce the fact that I am completely uncharitable compared to Tamaki. I didn't even have to manipulate anything this time AND got into the good graces of a business partner's family. It's a win-win. I left Haruhi to her thoughts on that while I looked at some box with a watermelon on it.

"Hey, Haruhi," I called, "did you know this?"

She walked over to me. "Did I know what?"

"Is melon the preferred flavor among snack makers?"

She looked at me weirdly. "Huh?"

"It doesn't make sense," I continued. "If the primary ingredient is corn, why go to the trouble artificially making it taste like fruit? Seems counterintuitive." I noticed her peek over my shoulder to see what I was talking about.

I was a bit startled when she let out a surprisingly girlish laugh, one eye closed in amusement. "That's an intriguing notion, in its own way." Funny, that's what I said that night in the beach house.

I was confused at her laughter though. "Did I say something amusing?" I asked.

"Earlier you were going on and on about how you and Tamaki-senpai are nothing alike, but what you just said about the candy, it sounds exactly like him." I was so surprised I forgot to put a glare on my glasses. My eyes widened just slightly. I then smiled a small, rare, genuine smile. _This girl truly is something_.

"You think so? This does seem like something he and the twins would fawn over." I inwardly smirked. "Very well, I'll buy them. Haruhi, your wallet." I reached my arm to her.

Her face went sour. "Oh right, I'm paying, aren't I?"

After that, I somehow ended up having more discussion with Haruhi about merit and good deeds. Though it ended when the idiot called for me as a lost child over the loudspeaker.

When we got to the location they called me to, everything was back to normal. The twins bothering Haruhi, Mori-senpai silently observing, Hunny-senpai being Hunny-senpai, and Tamaki being dumb.

Though it's rather curious...I remember something unordinary happened, but I don't know what. I remember a strange glint and an intense gaze, but I don't remember how, or what happened. I know there were, big brown eyes associated with it, very familiar eyes. Maybe it was all a dream. I do remember, very vividly, however, the strange feeling that shot all over my body when I held Haruhi's hand. I don't think ever I'll forget that no matter how much time passes.

Just then, a dog that was with them tackled Tamaki. "Stop it!" He laughed. "Quit licking me! That tickles!"

"What's with the dog?" I asked.

"Isn't she beautiful?" He smiled. "I got her at this amazing place they call a pet shop. Hey, cut it out, Antoinette!" He laughed, getting tackled again by said dog.

I looked at this display, trying to see myself do it. No, not possible at all. "How exactly am I like this moron?" I asked Haruhi.

"I know you want me to believe your only reasons for helping that woman earlier were selfish ones. But that isn't actually the truth. Because from where we were standing, there's no way you could have seen her ring." _How'd she...?_ "There was a flag blocking our view." _Ah, that explains it._ "It just doesn't make sense. You go to all that trouble acting like you're such a big jerk when being a nice guy comes so naturally to you." She turned around. "It seems counterintuitive."

And so, She left with a small smirk, repeating my words from earlier. I turned around, seeing her retreating figure. I then thought of the idiot Tamaki and the similarities she pointed out. I smiled a small smile.

"That's a very intriguing notion... in its own way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Ballad Of Atlantis, the rewrite of A Sirens Curse. As you may have noticed, I changed quite a few things, but I promise it's all for the better. The next chapter will be uploaded tomorrow, stay tuned! Leave any questions or thoughts in the comments! Have fun and stay safe!


	3. Nekozawa Knows?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruhi continues to hide her newfound abilities, but how is it that Nekozawa already caught wind of them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Recommendation for Harp Scene:
> 
> https://youtu.be/kaAu8gUPzSw

[Haruhi's POV]

The next day, I woke up feeling refreshed. I hated taking years away from people's lives, but if I didn't I would die. I didn't want to die when I could be spending time trying to break whatever curse this is, it would pointless, and frankly ignorant of me.

My dad already left for work, leaving me alone to get ready. I learned that if I didn't sing at least once a day, even if for a minute, I would have an even bigger appetite when it was time to feed. It felt weird, wrong almost to call it feeding, but what else was there to say? Maybe... eat? No, that made it sound too casual. It was like disregarding the fact that people will die sooner because of me.

I didn't have to sing that 'Sirens Song' every time I sang. It was only for feeding. Experimentally, I tried to feed with another song once but it wasn't nearly as satisfying and it only made me feed three times that week. It didn't take any years though. It's like if you try to drink water as your whole meal. Or chewing gum. Not very filling or satisfying.

Opening my mouth, I sang a lullaby my mom used to play all the time. The sound of my voice flowed all around me, and my world somehow became more colorful as the notes flitted around my vision. It was one of the few things about this that made me feel better.

I took a quick shower, careful not to turn, though I'm not sure if that's possible in a shower. I found the most satisfying way to feed without taking more than 5 years was in the ocean. I usually went at night in a skirt. If I went in pants, they'd tear. My clothes didn't change, so I had to go wearing something I was okay with getting wet. I would have to sing for about 3 minutes before someone came into my trap. Then, I'd kiss them and take their life source. They'd pass out right after, and according to the news, they'd be stuck in a coma for a day straight.

That was something that worried me. What if the police investigation leads them to me? It's not like I committed a crime, but what if they think I did? What if they ask me how I do it? How would I even answer such a question? I'm not even sure how it works myself.

I was also worried about was if my victims would recognize me, or if they had some sort of disease that could be transmitted through a kiss. Imagine finding out I have herpes and explaining it to my dad. Or if I'm somewhere with the Host Club and someone just shouts "Hey you! You're that girl that lured me into the ocean and made me pass out!" (Though Kyoya-senpai doesn't seem to remember my slip-up's at the shopping center. _But he might be digging into it and doesn't want me to suspect anything._ )

Shuddering at the thought, I walked out the door after getting changed and putting on my shoes. Just yesterday, I went out with Kyoya-senpai unintentionally. Some weird things happened, like that gaze I gave the salesmen, and that unexplainable lust I felt when I saw Kyoya-senpai just eat. And the sudden flashback I saw when I touched him...or that weird feeling when I held his hand. _I'm probably just overthinking it._ There's no way Kyoya-senpai even cared to hold my hand; for all I know, he just didn't want me to get lost. But even in spite of that, I feel somehow closer to Kyoya-senpai. I just hope nothing too weird happens today.

Summer vacation just finished, and it's the first day back. It's now Monday and I'm hoping it'll go smoothly. I did my morning routine (shower, sing, change, breakfast, shoes, and go), and I was now at the gates of Ouran. I was barely a couple feet in when 2 arms wrapped themselves around me. One hand wrapped around my waist, another following suit. I immediately knew who was who. The one on my right was Hikaru and the one on my left was Kaoru.

"So Haruhi," Kaoru started.

"How was your weekend?" Hikaru finished.

"Eh, it was nothing much. You know, aside from you all coming to my house and harassing me the other day." I said. They smirked mischievously, recalling the incident.

"Oh come on," Hikaru said.

"We just wanted to see you!" Kaoru finished his sentence.

"Well, good intentions or not, it was still uncalled for. At least give me a warning next time." I smiled.

"Next time?" Kaoru asked.

"So what you're saying is," Hikaru looked mischievous.

"There will be a next time?"

I paused, realizing my mistake. "No, I mean if you plan something like that again, give me a heads up. It wasn't an invitation for you to come over!"

The twins snickered behind their hands. Oh, how they loved messing with their favorite toy it seems.

We walked into the school talking about minor subjects. We then arrived to class just as the bell rang.

* * *

"Okay class, that's all for today. You are dismissed."

I got out of my chair, on my way to Music Room #3. Just as I walked out of the class, I heard someone call me.

"Fujioka-kun?" The voice said. Turning around, I saw a certain senpai of mine in a large black cloak, hidden in the shadows.

"Nekozawa-senpai? What do you need?" I replied, confused. Whatever he wanted, I hope it can wait, Kyoya-senpai wouldn't appreciate me being late after all. _He'd probably find a way to add it to my debt._ I thought bitterly.

"I know your secret." He said. I froze. Which secret, that I'm actually a girl or that I'm a mermaid siren? I brushed off that last thought. There's no way he could know _that_...right?

As if reading my mind, he said, "both of them. Meet me in my club room after your club hours. We'll discuss it then."

I was feeling a bit conflicted. _Both of them?_ What should I do? It's not like he could prove the siren one, but maybe he has evidence? I'm sure a video of me kissing some stranger and then them fainting was sure to garner suspicion, along with making me a prime suspect in the recent coma cases. And he could definitely prove I'm a girl. He could potentially make me lose my scholarship, and if he can prove I'm a siren, he could tell the government and they would run tests on me like I'm some alien! I cringed in fear. I couldn't let him tell.

I looked around, making sure no one was here to hear my next words. "You're not gonna tell anyone, right?" I prayed he'd say yes.

"I would never! I'll tell you in my club room what it is I desire." He whispered the last part. I reluctantly nodded and left for the club room.

I was almost close to the door when I felt 2 arms wrap themselves around me. _When did they get here?_ "What were you and Nekozawa-senpai talking about back there?" The twins asked.

"Nothing much, it's just that.." I trailed off. My mouth then started moving on its own.

"It's just that he was thanking me for reading to Kirimi-chan the other day. Apparently, she really enjoyed how I read to her." I lied effortlessly through my teeth. Aside from my slight stutter, there was nothing off about what I said that could be seen as suspicious.

"Really, that's all he wanted? To say thank you?" Hikaru asked, not believing those were his true intentions.

"Yeah..." Suddenly, I gave him an irritated look, feeling a vein pop out. "At least _he_ thanks me when I do something nice for him." I gestured to the mechanical pencils I lent them after they somehow both lost theirs and didn't have any replacement. _I guess being rich doesn't stop you from losing pencils like any other person._

"Oh come on Haruhi," Hikaru groaned.

"Yeah, we already offered you a day at the spa in exchange," Kaoru argued. Hikaru nodded vigorously, looking at me pleadingly along with his brother.

I relented, smiling at the two troublemakers. I put a finger on my lip, tilting my head to the side as I thought. "Well, I guess a day at the spa wouldn't be so bad."

"OH HARUHI!" They tackled me into the club room. They were rubbing their faces against me.

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!"

"HOW COULD WE BE MAD AT A FACE LIKE THAT?!"

I did something that even myself— I snuggled back into them.

It's weird... ever since I became a siren, I noticed I have a new appreciation for this kind of affection more. It also seems I've become a better liar, though that could be due to something I'm not realizing.

"YOU WRETCHED TWINS! GET YOUR GROPING HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"

The twins stood up, taking me with them. "You should've seen it, boss! Haruhi was being so cute!"

"My Haruhi is always cute! You shouldn't use that as an excuse to harass her!" He argued.

"Uh, boss?" Kaoru said.

"You're the one that always uses that as an excuse every time you see her," Hikaru said, face falling flat.

Tamaki sputtered, "it's you perverted twins that always are grabbing her! You should be ashamed of yourselves, sexually harassing my daughter Haruhi! One of you even licked her face once!" He avoided the accusation.

"Now now, Tamaki, you should get into character, the guests will be coming soon." Kyoya-senpai joined the conversation.

"Oh right! Well gentlemen, today we are doing an underwater sea theme!" Tamaki announces dramatically. My eyebrow twitched. _Just my luck._

"Your costumes are in the back, we should let my darling Haruhi go first, hers takes longer to put on," Tamaki instructed. I walked into the changing room after grabbing the outfit. Hopefully, I'm not a mermaid or something. I can't be. Wearing seashells would definitely reveal my gender and how would I walk around in a tail?

I opened the bag the costume was in, looking at it in shock. It was a mermaid outfit! Do the others have to be mermaids? Or mermen? I realized I did have to wear seashells, and not that I was self-conscious or anything, but I shouldn't wear this. What would I do if the guests found out? I reluctantly changed into the dumb thing. Kyoya-senpai has to have a plan, right?

I tried walking with the tail. Looking down, I could see more details about it. It looked a little like my siren tail. It was the same shade of blue, maybe a bit darker. It hugged my legs tightly together and had fading fins at the bottom. I think it's royal blue. There seemed to be some sort of wire around it, making it seem as though it was striped with gems. The seashells were orange and had a few gems on it too. There was also a temporary tattoo that came with it which looked like a bunch of flowers and petals. I noticed there were hair extensions that came with it that would reach at least to the middle of my back. Putting them on, I tested walking around in this new outfit.

It was surprisingly easy to walk around in. My feet were right in between the fins, though my legs didn't have much space. Luckily all I'd do was sit with the ladies, so I didn't need to walk too much. _Though I can't imagine pouring tea in this would be easy either..._ I thought, irritated. The tail shimmered in the light. I could feel my hair swish as I walked, the feeling unfamiliar, yet not uncomfortable.

I walked outside. The Hosts' jaws dropped open. "Haru-Chan..." Hunny-senpai said.

"SHE'S SO CUTE!" The twins, Tamaki-senpai and Hunny-senpai yelled. They quickly ran up to me and glomped me.

"Would you guys stop?! How are we going to conceal my gender with _this_?!" I protested loudly.

"That won't be a problem." I turned my head to Kyoya-senpai. "We'll tell the ladies it is just padding and you haven't hit your growth spurt yet. If it would make you feel better, we could tell them you get your womanly-ness from your father." He reasoned.

I thought it over. That does make sense, and my father does look very womanly for a man. I nodded. "Okay, but don't put me in these things again."

He nodded back. "Of course not, Tamaki will. This whole theme was his idea after all. He wouldn't stop babbling about you being a mermaid since the beach." I quirked an eyebrow at that, how coincidental...

After everyone else stopped gawking, they all got dressed. Tamaki-senpai was a king merman, the twins were seahorses, Hunny-senpai was a guppie, Mori-senpai was a royal merman guard along with Kyoya-senpai. We all got into position, waiting for our clients to arrive.

"Welcome."

* * *

"Wow, Haruhi! You're the only host that seems okay with cross-dressing, and you still look so handsome!" One of my regulars said.

"Yes, appearances don't really matter to me. It's more what's on the inside that counts." I replied, causing all the girls to swoon. I was sitting at my usual hosting area on the big couch, which now instead of being that gaudy pink color, was a modest seafoam green and blue. The girls surprisingly took well to my girlish appearance, saying things from ' _Haruhi is so cute!'_ To ' _MOE! Was Mori-senpai looking at Haruhi just now? Are they in a secret relationship?'_

"Haruhi, could you go next to this harp? You'd look like an even more realistic mermaid!" Another girl said.

"Sure, could one of you ask someone to bring it over? It's kind of difficult to walk in this." I asked. I really don't mind what they ask of me, but walking in this mermaid tail was a bit of a pain. The girl eagerly ran to Kyoya-senpai to ask him to move the harp. He swiftly got up, walking over to the harp by the piano. It seemed like decoration, but I knew better than that. After all, the Host Club prides itself on authenticity.

"Here you go, ladies. Lovely, isn't it? These moments only last so long." He smiled charmingly at the ladies, "If you wish to see more of your beloved Hosts, feel free to order some belongings of theirs online. We're also having a special 2 for one sale. If you buy the princely pictures set, you also get a free brotherly love set, and if you're one of the first 100 buyers, you get them signed and delivered by a Host of your choosing. What you do with that information is up to you." He said jovially, kind of sounding like a commercial ad. _Leave it to Kyoya-senpai to try to rake in profit at any opportunity_.

I sat next to the harp, looking at it with great interest. _Can it actually play?_

"Waaah, Haruhi..! You look so handsome sitting like that." I heard the click of a camera shutter. _Did Renge just..?_

Shrugging it off, I experimentally played a string. I've seen some street performers play harps, though never one this grand. I positioned my fingers from that memory, thinking of a song. Suddenly, my fingers started to move on their own accord.

Everything became silent to me. It was like I knew this song by instinct, and somehow my fingers did too. I even started humming a bit of a background to the song too.

I let my fingers move over the strings of the large harp. At that moment, I felt truly in my element. It just felt so... _right_. It was not unlike singing my siren song, in the sense that it came as second nature to me. I'd never even played the harp, or any musical instrument before, so it was a bit strange to be making the melodic sounds myself. My hair felt as though it was being swayed not only by my movements, but by an invisible wind. I felt my strumming become more passionate, more frantic. A need that I so desperately desired to fulfill bubbled up within me, almost like—

_Feed._

The feeling to _feed_. I stopped as soon as that happened, ending abruptly. I looked up sharply, feeling as though I had somehow changed. Everyone's eyes were on me.

The room was completely silent. Even the boisterously loud Tamaki-senpai and his customers were looking intently at me. I nearly blushed, realizing I was the center of attention. Then, somebody started clapping a bit slowly, and like a large wave, it came all at once. There was deafening applause as I realized the position I unconsciously went in. My legs were curled on the couch gracefully, and my arms were wrapped around the instrument. It was like those cliché pictures of mermaids on rocks, except instead of a hairbrush, I had a harp. I couldn't see my face but I could tell I looked like a real mermaid...or siren in my case.

"Haruhi! Where did you learn how to play like that?!" One of my customers asked once the applause died down.

"Oh, I always knew how to play, my mom taught me when I was younger." I lied effortlessly.

"Haruhi-kun plays an emotional, captivating, hypnotizing piece on a harp in the name of his late mother! LETS GO BUY HIS MERCHANDISE ONLINE!" All the girls swooned after Renge (who I just realized was here) said that. They quickly swarmed Kyoya-senpai. _Wow, even the lady manager tries to rake in profit._

* * *

The Host Club just ended, so I made my way towards the door. I hope Nekozawa-senpai doesn't want me to do some sort of weird ritual, though maybe he can help me. I'd just have to go and see.

Just as I opened the door, a hand grabbed my shoulder. "HARUHI?! Where do you think you're going? We need to talk about that little stunt you just pulled!" Tamaki-senpai yelled.

"I'm going home. I need to study and do some chores. I _do_ have a test on Friday," I turned around, facing him. "Also, I was telling the truth. My mom used to have a harp in our old house and I played it when no one was looking. I don't think dad knew. He was always at work when I did." I said. It is true, I really do need to study, and my mom really did have a harp when I was younger, but first I have to hurry to Nekozawa. If I don't get there in time, he might think I went back on our deal and tell everyone, (though my lying seems to be getting more convincing.)

"But Haruhi—!" He whined. He gazed at me with pitiful puppy dog eyes.

"Tell you what," I said, relenting at his vulnerable expression. "I'll explain in more detail before class tomorrow."

He looked dissatisfied though agreed nonetheless. "Fine..."

I sighed, walking out of the room. I don't know why I agreed, it's not like I _wanted_ to spend morning time with them. But still, it can't be _that_ bad, can it? It's those eyes— _those darned puppy dog eyes always get me._

As I walked down the hall to the Black Magic Club, I got nervous, though I also had a sense of relief. Sure, it was a little unsettling to know that someone I barely talk to found out 2 of my biggest secrets, but at the same time, now I had someone who may be able to help me through it all.

I paused, just outside the door, my arm in a knocking position. It was now or never.

Just as I was about to knock, the door opened on its own. I put my hand down, peering into the dark room. Where was Nekozawa-senpai? I walked inside.

"Nekozawa-senpai? Are you here?" The door closed behind me. I turned around, coming face-to-face with said senpai. Was he waiting behind the door the whole time?

I noticed there was a large drop in temperature. _Is there an AC in here?_ I thought absently.

"Fujioka-kun..." he smirked, "or should I call you...Fujioka-Chan?"

I looked at him in confusion. Why was he beating around the bush? Distantly, I wondered where the other club members were. "What did you want to talk about?"

He gestured for me to sit down in a chair that was by a circular table. "I called you here because I have a proposition for you."

I tilted my head, waiting for him to continue. "In exchange for my silence, I wish to study your powers. By what process do you feed? What does your siren voice sound like? Are you able to communicate with any other mystical beings? What myths surrounding your kind are fact or fiction? Have you had any side-effects as a result of your condition? Are there certain conditions you need to feed in? What exactly do you consume from feeding? Is it true you must kill in order to eat? How'd this happ—" he stopped when he noticed I looked completely overwhelmed by his onslaught of words. He sounded like a child on Christmas Day!

I chuckled, a feeling more than a bit embarrassed for staring. "Sorry, it's just that you sound so excited." I looked him in the eye, confusion radiating throughout me. "I don't understand, wouldn't you have most of that information in one of your occult books?"

He shrugged shyly, suddenly seeming much less energetic, shaking his head. "No, believe it or not, there isn't much documentation available on sirens; The information varies. It's like a game of telephone— the knowledge is molded differently each time to the point where the end product is completely different than the original. It's considered a milestone to find one in real life, let alone as a human. It's like...finding a pure, new element as a chemist. A huge deal."

I looked down, disappointed. "Oh, I was hoping you could help me get rid of this curse."

He put a hand on his chin, thoughtful. "It seems I'll need you to answer those questions before I can try to find a solution." He shrugged, seeming sheepish, "I apologize for pressuring you into agreeing, I just got a bit ahead of myself. I hope you can forgive me," he glanced at me.

"No it's fine," I replied, "either way, it's not like I'd know who else to turn to about this...not many people I know have much experience with these things. Who knows, maybe we can even test some things I haven't realized. Though I have to ask, how'd you find out about all...this?" I asked, gesturing to myself awkwardly.

He beamed brightly at me. "Well it's quite simple—I prayed to the dark lords of course. They informed me there was a newly-fledged siren nearby, living a double life of gender and species. At first, it didn't make much sense, but I promptly found out about your gender from overhearing the host club's conversations and put two and two together."

 _Ah, well that explains it_. "I guess we should begin the questioning now", I offered.

He smiled widely, looking like he had just been told it would always be dark outside. "Okay, how did this happen?"

I rested my head in my right hand and began, "it all started when I went to your beach home in Okinawa with the Host Club. I don't know if you saw or heard, but some random guys came and tried to hit on some guests, cornering them. I tried to get them to back off, but they pushed me off the small cliff we were on. The next thing I know, I'm underwater and there's some merman singing to me. He leaned in and kissed me, and I think he said something along the lines of 'I'm free.' After that, Tamaki-senpai got me out before I drowned. To tell you the truth, I didn't even remember that whole ordeal until after I discovered my... _abilities."_

Nekozawa-senpai was writing everything I said down into a black notebook. What was it with black notebooks in this school? He looked up when I finished my explanation. "Interesting..." he wrote down a few more things before looking back up at me.

"So how do you feed?" From then on, all I did was answer questions. It kind of felt like a police interrogation. I told him everything. From my daily routine to how I first found out how to feed. I told him the conditions I fed in and what was taken from the people I preyed upon, and their strange comatose state as a result. I explained my strange ability to be able to play an instrument I barely touched before and my ability to lie. I explained in great detail the flashback of Kyoya-senpai's I involuntarily saw, and even the tiniest things like enjoying physical affection more than before and that gaze that made everyone stop. When I finished, he barely had any space left in his notebook.

"You gave me some invaluable information, Fujioka-kun! Could we possibly meet again to discuss this? I'll spend some time trying to find possible solutions. Do you think you could inform me of your next feeding session? I'd like to be present, to take notes of course." He asked happily.

"Of course, I'll send you the information later," I said, handing him my number which I had written down as I was talking.

Leaving the club room, he suddenly spoke, "could I give you a ride home, Fujioka-kun? It's gotten rather late for a young woman such as yourself to be walking home."

As I was about to refuse, I checked the nearby clock, my eyes nearly popping out of the sockets. It was much later than I thought it'd been. I wasn't going to make it home by walking at this point. Resigned, I answered, "Sure, as long as it's of no bother to you."

"It's fine...think of it as my apology for keeping you so late." He smiled brightly at me, contrasting with the shadows he always cast himself in. For a second I could see the kind blonde boy under all the cloaks and wigs, the usually 'intimidating' man nowhere to be seen.

I shook away those thoughts, getting back on track. Everyone else left, so it's not like they'd see us. I had to do some chores around the house, and having a frantic host club come knocking at my door was not ideal.

We walked into his car. Neither of us noticed the pair of eyes watching us. We didn't notice them staring at us from out the glass of the second floor. And it didn't even cross our minds when we drove off, that we were being watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There's the next chapter for you! Nekozawa now knows about Haruhi, but who was that strange person watching them just then? Stay tuned to find out! Next chapter comes out tomorrow, leave any thoughts, questions, or constructive criticism in the comments! Stay safe and happy reading!


	4. Haruhi’s Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hosts have become suspicious of Haruhi and plot ways to find out what she’s hiding.

"Mommy! Did you know about this?!" A certain blonde idiot yelled.

"About what?" He replied calmly.

"About Haruhi knowing the harp? Or was this some sort of scheme for her debt?" Tamaki continued, giving him an accusing stare. Kyoya used a finger to push his glasses up.

"I can assure you I had no knowledge of Haruhi knowing how to play the harp, let alone any instrument. As she said, Ranka-San may not know about this because he was always gone when she played. She'll explain it to us tomorrow." He calmly explained, brow furrowed underneath his perfect mask.

Haruhi knowing how to play an instrument wasn't that big a deal to him—no, it was the fact that he didn't know something that bothered him. _What else could she be hiding..?_ He heard Tamaki mumble something about daddy-daughter duets on harp and piano, but it was quickly tuned out by Hunny-senpai's youthful voice.

"Wow, even Kyo-Chan doesn't know everything about Haruhi! Do you think she may be hiding anything else?" Everyone perked up at that. Now was the perfect chance to bring up his suspicions. "She seems...different." Hunny piped up.

The twins shrugged. "We don't see any change." Then, they put a finger on their chins.

"Though lately, she _does_ have a tendency to cuddle back into us whenever we grab her." The twin on the right said.

"And she does have this strange glint in her eye now." The other added.

"I did not want to comment about it," Kyoya joined, "but something peculiar happened the other day at the shopping center with her." This caught everyone's attention. The now silent Tamaki was looking rather interested at his statement, the redheads raised their eyebrows in unison, Hunny nearly dropped his fork, and even the stoic Mori's eyebrows creased slightly.

"What do you mean, Kyo-Chan?" Hunny asked.

"It was very strange. It's all one giant blur for me, in fact. When I try to remember it, it's as though the memory is blocked. All I remember was Haruhi was looking at me strangely, and she was acting a little weird at times. I feel as though there was more to it, but it's fuzzy. Also," he turned to Tamaki, "while we were speaking, it came to my attention you've been telling her... _certain things_ about my background. Care to explain?" He looked accusingly at the blonde.

Tamaki creased his eyebrows, "I never said anything about your background to her. I don't know why she may have lied about that."

Everyone pondered at that. None of this was making any sense! Just then, Kyoya turned to the window, perhaps to say something. But just as he was about to look out the glass, he had an idea.

* * *

"Okay, after all your bickering, we finally managed to agree upon a plan." The glasses-wearing Host said. After Kyoya's proposal, everyone began to disagree on a plan of action. Tamaki and the twins were in a reluctant agreement with Kyoya, but the 2 oldest members of the club thought it was fair enough. It took a while, but everyone calmed eventually. They all decided that Kyoya's plan (along with a few tweaks from other members here and there) was best—

_Interrogate her and let her explain her strange behavior, but continue to keep a close eye on her._

It seemed like a strangely docile plan for the shadow king, but they all agreed that allowing her to explain first would be best. However, it did now give them the excuse to be a little more involved in Haruhi's life, something which pleased many of the members of the host club.

Now, all that was left to do was wait for her explanation about the harp tomorrow. This sure would be interesting.

* * *

I walked into the obnoxiously pink school. _Why is it so pink?!_ Couldn't they have chosen a more tasteful color? And the yellow dresses too! _Who comes up with this stuff?_ They should be fired.

I rolled my eyes. I should stop trying to distract myself from the inevitable confrontation with the Host Club. Strangely enough, none of the Host Club members came up to me yet. _Maybe they're waiting for me in the club room_. I walked up the staircase to the large pinkish doors. I turned the gold handles. _It's now or never,_ I mentally prepared myself.

I noticed something was off when there were no rose petals to greet me with a slap in the face. Then, I saw the room was completely dark, just like the Black Magic room. Then, I looked deeper into the room, opening the door more which illuminated the dark. What I saw took me by surprise, and if it wasn't for the tension I felt, I would've started laughing. There, in the middle of the large room was the Host Club, looking like cliche evil villains.

Kyoya-senpai had a dark aura surrounding him with an exaggerated mustache, top hat, and to top it all off, a monocle. Even with the silliness, he still looked every bit the 'shadow king' the others made him out to be.

The twins were dressed identically, each wearing red color contacts and dressed in all black with 'evil' expressions. (Though that's only natural for them.)

Hunny-senpai was dressed with a small mustache and red devil-ish clothes which may have looked sinister had it not been for the cute aura and face. Mori-senpai was dressed as a man in black, his stoic face making him look unapproachable.

Lastly, Tamaki-senpai had to be the most classic in the middle. He was sitting in a big executive chair along with everyone else, ( _though their chairs were smaller_ ). He turned around dramatically as I took in his appearance— him holding a stuffed cat, in all black, his hands in a sort of praying position though with some space to make it look like a triangle, with a big mustache and top hat, just like Kyoya-senpai. I held back a grin.

I opened my mouth to say something, though Tamaki-senpai beat me to it. "We've been expecting you, Haruhi."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Uh, guys? What _is_ all of this?" Just then, the door closed behind me. I looked to see if Nekozawa-senpai was waiting behind there like yesterday, though that's dumb. _Why would he have anything to do with this_?

There was a big spotlight on a desk with a lamp (which was useless with the spotlight) and a chair. The twins quickly grabbed me and sat me into the chair.

"So Haruhi..." Kaoru started,

"Explain yourself." Hikaru ended.

"Explain what?" I asked. Could this really be about the harp? That's too much trouble for a little secret they didn't know.

"Tell us your harp story." They said in unison. I quirked an eyebrow.

I then got that feeling of my mouth moving on its own. "Well, when mom was still around, she brought home a harp that she got from a coworker that was throwing it out. I was interested in it, though I didn't know how to play anything. Sometimes, when I was home alone, I hit a couple of notes and I tried to play songs, but I couldn't. Then, one day I saw a man playing harp on the street, and I asked him for advice. He showed me how to position my fingers and how to play properly. Afterward, I practiced a lot when I was alone, but then my mom died and we had to give it away. I never told dad because I knew he'd save up to buy a new harp for me." I lied effortlessly. Wow, even I almost convinced myself.

Tamaki-senpai has tears in his eyes. "Gentlemen, we now have a new mission— _buy Haruhi a new harp!_ " He pointed to me dramatically.

"Uh, boss?" Tamaki looked at Hikaru.

"That's great and all, but didn't we have to ask her something else?" Kaoru reminded him.

Tamaki shook out of his fantasies at that. "Right! Yes, unfortunately, my dear daughter Haruhi hasn't been acting like herself lately. We wanted to ask you what's wrong." He said with some concern.

"What do you mean 'not acting like myself'?" I asked. This must be about my change in behavior. _Shoot, I was hoping they didn't notice._

"Well Haruhi, we noted some changes in your behavior that are a bit... how do you say, _out of character._ " Kyoya-senpai pulled out a chart. I gritted my teeth. He probably planned exactly what he was going to say, most likely drawling out his words to get under my skin.

He pointed on something on his chart. "A while after your summer job, the twins stated you more affectionate towards them, and others have reported your eyes seeming more... _passionate._ Also," he pulled down his glasses a bit, letting me see his eyes, "Let's not forget your little stunt back in the shopping center." He said.

I nearly froze at the last statement. _Did he remember?_ "What are you talking about?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"The other day we discussed this," he turned to the Hosts, "I said I didn't really remember what happened, but last night I rewatched the security cam footage of that day," he looked back to me, "I remembered everything."

"Remembered what, Kyoya?" Tamaki-senpai asked.

"You were acting normal up until we ate lunch. I noticed you staring at me weirdly, almost lustfully. You said you were very hungry, so I assumed you were just admiring the food. Ranka-San said you were a bad liar, though this next episode disproves that. You asked me about my family and seemed to already know things... personal things. You told me Tamaki told you about my past, but he denies it. He may be an idiot but I doubt he'd lie to me." Kyoya explained.

To my horror, my mouth didn't move on its own this time. I'm on my own on this one. Just then, my eyes moved on their own and stared directly into Tamaki's eyes. For a horrifying moment, I could see past his eyes and into his brain, into each and every nerve, as though I was dissecting him. It's hard to explain, but I somehow conjured up a memory of us talking in the club about Kyoya's past...I could see us very vividly having a conversation. Then, I felt as though I was pulling out, sowing the memory deep into his being, then suddenly pulling it out from the very depths of his brain, front and center. It felt like an eternity, when in reality it may have just been a split second.

"Actually," Tamaki-senpai spoke up, looking at me strangely, "I remember now." Everyone looked at him. "We were in the club talking and somehow we ended up speaking about Kyoya's struggles. I don't know how I forgot but it just came back to me." He said, confused. I looked surprised at him for a second. _I have to tell Nekozawa-senpai about this new ability._

It took a second for Kyoya-senpai to regain his voice, "okay, that may be true but that doesn't explain this next event." I gulped. I knew what he was talking about.

"There was a lady that was being scammed by a salesman who was saying he had Komatsu Shoin's work, though when I exposed him, he physically assaulted me. You can't see it right now, but I do have quite a few bruises. He was so angry that security couldn't even get him off of me." He said. I know where this is going...

Just then, Hunny-senpai interrupted. "Why didn't you call us Kyo-Chan? We could've gotten him off you!"

"That's where it gets interesting." Kyoya-senpai smirked as if to say, ' _I got you now_.'

Everyone tilted their heads to the side in confusion. "Why don't I just show you all?" He smirked in my direction. He pulled out a T.V and inserted a disk into the player. Turning on the tv, he swiftly sorted through the footage until he landed on the part where the man began to assault him, security fruitlessly attempting to break them up. Everyone watched, speechless.

"Just as he was going to oh so kindly _break_ my ribs, that's where Haruhi came in." The tv now showed me come in and place a hand on the man's shoulder, his arm raised to punch again, effectively startling the hosts watching. They watched, in shock, as everyone stopped and stared at me. It was as though someone put a still frame on for a minute, for the second the man moved, everything was set into motion again.

Hunny-senpai was the first to speak, "Haru-Chan! You shouldn't be so careless! What if he hit you?" Mori silently nodded next to him, giving me a disapproving frown.

"I'm sorry, Hunny-senpai. I wasn't sure what else I could do." I shrugged sheepishly.

"Don't give us that! You could've been seriously hurt!" Hikaru cried out, concern in his features.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet with those brutes at the beach? Are you asking to get hurt?" Tamaki-senpai asked me accusingly, staring daggers into my soul.

_Wow...I didn't know they cared so much._ I thought, slightly touched by their concern. "I'm sorry I scared you all so much, I just wanted him to get off Kyoya-senpai."

Hunny-senpai regained his voice at this, looking at Kyoya-senpai now. "That's another thing, why didn't you fight back Kyo-chan?" He asked. We all agreed at this, looking at him for an answer.

Finding himself in the spotlight, he masked his eyes and coolly explained, "well you see, it had slipped my mind at the moment that he may react violently to my obstruction of his business, though that's not to say I am incapable of self-defense; I was merely taken off guard for a moment." He cleared his throat, "but we're losing focus on the real issue at hand here." He turned to me, "care to explain what that last part was about there?" He was referring to everyone stopping.

I felt myself getting ready to lie, so I embraced the feeling, let it consume me, and soon my face was the perfect mask of innocence. "Well, I couldn't just let him hurt you, Kyoya-senpai; I had to do _something_." I looked at him meaningfully.

At that moment, it was as though I could see strings coming out of me, attaching to him and pulling at his heart. If I _really_ concentrated, I could see strings attaching to everyone and doing something similar. I kept going, "I guess all I could think to do at that moment was to grab his shoulder. I honestly don't know what I would've done if he attacked me, but it was just my luck that he was startled enough to be stopped."

I walked closer to him, watching with keen eyes as his breath _ever so slightly_ hitched, "I don't know why everyone stopped like that, but it helped security get him off of you. As for the stare, I was just _really_ hungry." I gave him my most sincere, apologetic smile, "I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything sooner," I finished sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. Just like that, the spell was broken and he quickly put a glare on his glasses, turning away.

"It's of no worry now then. We'll discuss this more later— for now we should all begin to head to class, the bell will ring any second now." At that, the rest of the host club seemed to have gathered their wits, rushing out the door. None of them seemed to have noticed me using these strange new powers— not that they'd know what to make of it.

I seem to have evaded everyone's suspicions with that little show of powers back there. I gave myself a pat on the back.

Lying is _just so easy._

Just as I was about to leave, a hand closed the door, effectively trapping me against the door in the club room. Kyoya-senpai seemed to not be finished with me yet.

"I must say, Haruhi, while you did manage to get the man off of me, you still could have been seriously hurt. I implore you to think of the consequences your actions could have caused you, for not only would that have affected you, but the rest of the host club as such." He leaned closer. I realized this position not only left me vulnerable to him but him vulnerable to me; There was no way to shield his eyes from me now.

Before I knew what I was saying, the words were already out of my mouth. "Does that include you too?" I stared him directly in his eyes, unwavering even after I registered my own sentence.

Taken off guard, he blinked once, adjusting his glasses, not even realizing his glare was nowhere to be seen. "Excuse me?" He said.

"You heard me," I started again, boldly. "Admit it, senpai. You're just trying to play off your real feelings by pretending to be the villain. In reality, you were just concerned for me, am I right?" I smirked—yes, I Haruhi Fujioka, _smirked—_ at Kyoya-senpai.

He was at a loss for words for a moment, though quickly regained his composure. He regained his cool mask, revealing nothing. "And how do you know you're right? How do you know I'm not being serious when I do things like _this?"_ As if to prove his point, he grabbed my chin and tilted my head upward, our noses nearly touching. I could feel a _need_ rising up within me, something I couldn't explain. The siren in me screamed at me to take the opportunity to feed, the urge growing and growing until I had to act upon it.

Just as I was about to lean forward, the bell rang, startling us both. Wordlessly, we left the club room, going our own separate ways.

_What was that?_

* * *

The rest of the day, I thanked whatever force was looking out for me because I had avoided Kyoya-senpai at lunch and even during club hours. I'd been assigned tutoring a student on math and physics during those hours, so I had an excuse to not go near anyone. The twins seemed to be watching me the whole time in classes, but I managed to avoid their stares. Before I knew it, it was time to go home.

"Read chapters 5 and 6 at home, Kamachi-San. Your math is doing much better, so you should focus a bit more on physics." I told her.

She nodded with hearts in her eyes. "Thanks, Haruhi-San! If I don't get my grades up my dad said he'd take away one of my ponies. Thanks for helping me!" She smiled. Figures that's the only reason she'd wanna study. Regardless, I smiled back and we parted ways.

I looked outside at the giant clock the school had. It seems club hours just ended, so I should leave before anyone catches up to me. Just when I saw the gates of the school, I heard my name being called.

"Fujioka-kun! Wait up!" It was Nekozawa-senpai calling me. Then I noticed Kirimi-chan walking next to him. She ran towards me.

"Bookworm! I missed you! When will you read to me again?" She said excitedly.

My face fell flat as I remembered the torturous amounts of shoujo manga she made me read to her. However, I digress. Nekozawa was being pretty reassuring so far, and who knows, maybe if he helps me get rid of this curse, then the least I can do is read manga to his sister...lots and lots of shoujo manga...I inwardly shivered.

"I've been rather busy as of late, but I'm sure we can work something out." I said with a smile. Kirimi-chan's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

I turned to Nekozawa, "so what are you doing here?" I asked.

He looked a little bashful. "K-Kirimi said she wanted to go to the commoners shopping center, and since I'm not good with those types of things, I thought maybe you could come along. Also, Kirimi wanted you to come either way."

I smiled warmly. I think it's sweet how much Nekozawa loves his sister. I don't have any siblings, if I did, I would like to have the type of connection they have.

"Well, I don't have much homework so I guess it's fine. Come on," I said, gesturing them to follow, "we can go to the commoners' mall." I knew it's slightly degrading to call it that, but that's the only way they'd understand what I mean.

Kirimi-chan beamed at that. "Yay!" She excitedly yelled as she ran towards the limo. From her youthful features to her childlike innocence, she was the definition of adorable. For a second I wondered if this is what the host club felt when they said I was so cute. Nekozawa pulled me aside for a second.

"Thanks for doing this, Fujioka-kun. I know she may be a bit overbearing at times, but trust me, she appreciates what you're doing, as do I." He said with a shy smile.

I grinned back at him. "No problem, senpai. I like the girl; I wouldn't mind showing her around."

"I'm glad you think so", he replied. At that moment, Kirimi-chan yelled from the limo for us to hurry. "Ah, I guess we should do as the lady said" he joked, and we made our way to the sleek black luxurious vehicle.

* * *

Hikaru and Kaoru made their way down the hall, eagerly walking to see their toy. As they began their scheme to harass their little doll, a thought came to Kaoru.

"Eh, Hikaru, don't you ever think we should just stop harassing Haruhi?" He asked. For a moment, they paused and pondered. After a brief moment of silence, they shrugged and in unison exclaimed, "Nah".

During their little conversation, they noticed the class their toy was supposed to be in was empty, which was strange as usually, they would meet there at the end of the day. In unison, they made a surprised face.

"Eh, Kaoru, it seems our toy isn't here today," Hikaru said with a shrug, his smile slowly becoming more and more mischievous. Kaoru caught on quickly.

"Yes, Hikaru. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't _check up_ on her?" He replied with a sinister grin.

They swiftly took out their flip-phones and shot a quick text in the group chat they made with Haruhi.

Hikaru: hey, where are you?

Kaoru: you're not in class, are you tired of us?

Hikaru: ;(

Haruhi: something came up, I already left school.

The twins' faces brightened at seeing the text from their closest friend, though quickly charged to confusion at the content of her message.

Kaoru: Eh, what are you doing running off without us Haruhi?

Hikaru: Yeah, where are you going?

On the other side, a vein popped out of Haruhi's head. _Can't they just leave me alone?_ She thought. Seeing as they wouldn't stop pestering her, she decided there was no harm in telling them her plans, though decided not to disclose who she carried them out with. With no small amount of annoyance, she typed.

Haruhi: I'm going shopping...though you better not come and follow me! I just need to quickly run some errands and if you don't bother me I would very much appreciate it.

The twins on the other side grinned at Haruhi's fiery response, their resolve only hardened. It was decided—the would go _accompany_ Haruhi on her little shopping expedition. After that little spectacle in the store the other day, there was no telling what trouble she may get into.

Besides...

They had nothing better to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter redone! How was it? Did you enjoy the added scene between Haruhi and Kyoya? How about the changes made to the chapter in general? I would love to know your thoughts. Please stay tuned, next chapter comes tomorrow.


	5. Nothing Better to Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The host club sets out on a mission to find Haruhi while she’s shopping! However, Haruhi runs into an...unexpected problem.

"How did this happen?" Hikaru asked, looking in the limo where the whole host club had decided to tag along. Hunny-senpai was eating [read: devouring] a large cake, occasionally looking out the window. Mori-senpai sat silently next to him, awaiting any sign of danger. Kyoya-senpai sat cooly next to the club's king on his laptop, seemingly uninterested. The king, however, was a different story.

Tamaki, who had been ranting about his 'lovely daughter' going off on her own and needing protection, perked up. "It's our job as the host club to ensure all our guests are kept happy and entertained."

Kaoru interrupted, "yeah, but Haruhi isn't one of our guests."

"And if you think about it, she wouldn't be happy or entertained to see you either boss." Hikaru joined. How had they all decided to even tag along anyway?

_*flashback*_

_"Hikaru! Kaoru! Have you seen Haruhi? Kyoya said he needs him to try on the mermaid cosplay again. And I want to see my daughter be so pretty again. We_ are _the closest out of everyone in the host club." Tamaki exclaimed greedily, drawing something of an audience with his theatrics. The twins looked at each other with a shrug, careful with their pronouns._

_"He left earlier to go shopping, something about running errands." Kaoru started._

_"Yeah, didn't he tell you, boss? Since you're so 'close'?" Hikaru teased._

_Tamaki looked like he'd been hit by lightning. Why hadn't his darling daughter told him that? Seeing the expression on his face, the twins began 'whispering' behind their hands, loud enough for the club's prince to hear._

_"I bet he_ didn't _tell Tono what he was doing." One twin said._

 _"He probably thinks he's_ unworthy _to know these things." The other twin replied._

 _"He probably thinks Tamaki's a_ horrible father _for not even checking up upon him." They finished together, each accentuated word stabbing Tamaki in various areas. He turned deathly pale, and fainted, almost hitting the floor if it wasn't for Kyoya deciding to make an entrance and shocking his friend out of his stupor._

_"I apologize for my abrupt entrance but time is of the essence. Did he happen to say where he was heading to? If not, it's fine. I'll find him either way." The shadow king ended off ominously. The brothers shivered._

_"Why do you guys need Haruhi so badly?" Hikaru voiced._

_Kyoya answered charmingly, "ever since the mermaid theme, Haruhi merchandise has been at its all-time highest in demand. We wouldn't want to run out of stock now, would we? After all, the host club's main goal is to ensure the happiness and entertainment of all their guests." The others sweatdropped. Of course, that's the only reason Kyoya would be so adamant about knowing the location of the host club's natural._

_*end flashback*_

Next thing they knew, they were all off on a mission to find Haruhi, bumping into Hunny and Mori on the way, and now they're here. In all honesty, they were all a little worried about the natural host, especially with the strange cases of young men being found in a comatose state. Haruhi may not be male, though she was masquerading as one so that may put her at risk.

Ignoring the older twins' comment, Tamaki continued, "but you didn't let me finish! While Haruhi may not be one of our guests, she is the host club's secret princess and must be treated as such! Men, we have a new mission today— Operation: Protect Haruhi From the Dangers of the Outside World! Otherwise known as Operation: Secret Princess Protection!" Everyone but Mori-senpai and Kyoya-senpai cheered at the club's president's resolve.

Suddenly, the car stopped. "We are here Ootori-sama." The chauffeur announced on the small intercom installed near the seat Kyoya-senpai was on. Pressing a button, he replied with a quick thank you, and the hosts were led out of the sleek limousine. They were in front of the same shopping center Kyoya-senpai and Haruhi had been in a few days ago.

"Where's Haru-Chan?" The boy Lolita innocently asked.

"My sources say she was last spotted in the small toy store close to the exit in the north wing." Kyoya-Senpai knowingly answered.

"Toy store?" Hikaru asked.

"What's Haruhi doing in a place like that?" Kaoru finished his older twin's thought.

"Well, she did come with a dark hooded figure and a child so that may explain why." Kyoya cooly replied. Tamaki gasped at that.

"W-what's my daughter doing with such people?! W-what if.. what if she's being forced here against her will?!" He fearfully exclaimed. The others, with the exception of 2 certain hosts, shivered.

"Oh no! Poor Haru-Chan!" Hunny senpai cried out.

"Now now, calm down everyone. I'm sure there's a _plausible explanation_." Kyoya said darkly. The same hosts shivered once again, the same thought running through their minds— _poor Haruhi._

* * *

"Haruhi! What's this thing called?!" Kirimi yelled out excitedly.

"Oh, that's an exhibition stand. They usually have things from places all over, though I think the last exhibition is today." Haruhi calmly explained. Right now, they were in a different shopping center than the one she had been in just days prior (with Kyoya). This one was a bit more high-end for her tastes but still affordable for most middle-class citizens.

Walking up behind Nekozawa, she noticed him eyeing some things from a dark store at the end of the hall. "Found something you like, Nekozawa-Senpai?" She asked.

Startled at being asked something, the tall hooded man looked at her, embarrassed at being caught. "Ah—well yes, what's that store contain? It seems to have some old relics so it's caught my interest..." he trailed off, staring at the store in question. Suddenly, Haruhi heard a noise of protest behind her.

"Wahhh! I don't wanna go into that scary store!" Kirimi exclaimed, looking visibly upset. Haruhi noticed the other shoppers looking on in concern. She could hardly blame them, they did look suspicious. After all, from their perspective, they saw a tall hooded figure looming over a smaller younger boy and a young child who seemed to have no relation to either of them.

Haruhi suddenly felt the urge of her powers to do something. Following her instinct, she picked up Kirimi and began to soothingly hum in her ear, lulling her into a peaceful stupor. The other shoppers, seeing how the young girl didn't seem to be in any danger, quickly went about their business once more.

She let out a sigh of relief, "that was close," Haruhi said, somewhat cradling Kirimi. Nekozawa could only look on in wonder.

"H-how'd you do that? Normally it would take me at least about a good 15 minutes or so to get her to calm down completely." He said, surprised.

She smiled that beautiful smile that made any man who saw it adhere to her every whim. "I guess it's just something my powers allow me to do." Oddly, he felt his heart speed up in his chest. _Maybe it's because there are too many people here..._ He thought, dazed.

"Do you still want to go to that store? I could wait outside with Kirimi or go inside and keep humming to soothe her," the short-haired girl offered. He felt oddly touched by her caring and considerate nature. Not only had she agreed to tour him and his sister around this shopping center, but she had also made sure his sister felt comfortable and he was able to enjoy the sights. He felt his respect and admiration of her reach an unprecedented level.

"I'm touched by your consideration," he started, voicing his thoughts, "though I think we should do whatever Kirimi wants first. She _is_ the one who requested to come here in the first place." He reasoned.

Haruhi put on a thoughtful expression, one that somehow made his heartbeat quicker and blood rush to his face ' _I must be getting sick'_ he thought faintly.

"Well, I suppose we could go to that store she was eyeing earlier. It looked like some kind of clothing store...?" She pondered. Hearing her name and snapping out of her reverie, Kirimi finally began noticing what the others were talking about.

"Oh yes! Let's go there bookworm! I want to give you a fashion makeover!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh, oh no, I don't need any such thing. Thanks for offering though!" Haruhi waved her hand dismissively.

"I didn't ask bookworm!" The young girl yelled with an excited 'oomph!' as she got out of the scholars' arms and dragged her towards said store. Following slowly behind them, Nekozawa could only feel bad for poor Haruhi as for what was to come.

* * *

"Waaaah! Takashi, it's dark in here!" Hunny-senpai cried out. Jumping into the larger mans' arms, he shivered in the dark store. After having gone to the toy store and messing around—*cough* fruitlessly looking around for Haruhi, they came to the conclusion she wasn't there anymore and made way into the dark store next to them, at the end of the hall.

"Relax Hunny-senpai. Don't forget Operation: Secret Princess Protection!" Tamaki exclaimed excitedly. The twins gave him a deadpan look.

"But what would Haruhi even be doing in a store like this?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah boss, all I see here are old, useless trinkets." Hikaru cut in.

"It's obvious you have no idea where to look." They finished together, causing him to sputter and a turn a deathly pale white.

"T-that's not true! Kyoya said that she entered with a strange dark hooded kidnapper and a child!" The club president embellished. "It'd only make sense that he'd force her to come to a dark scary store as scary as he is!" He proclaimed, moving around with his regular theatrics. "Tell them Kyoya." He asked pitifully to his best friend, unshed tears in his puppy-dog eyes.

"My sources did not say she was kidnapped first of all, and she most certainly didn't come here." The glasses-wearing host calmly explained.

"So if she's not in here, where is she?" Hunny asked, seemingly not scared anymore.

"She was seen walking around the exhibition stands then went clothes shopping," Kyoya revealed, tranquil as one could be.

The reaction was immediate. "WHATTTT?! You knew where she was this whole time and you never told us?! Mommy, how could you?" Tamaki cried out, heartbroken by his 'mommy's' betrayal.

Kyoya simply smirked and said, "you never asked," causing all the other hosts to simultaneously let out a sigh of relief and frustration for all the time wasted, and for now knowing where she was.

"Is everything alright here?" A new voice cut in. Looking in the direction of the voice, the host club saw a man, most likely the store owner making his way towards them.

"Yes, we were just about to be on our way," Kyoya answered before the other had a chance to cut in.

"Oh, alright then. Are you sure you aren't interested in any of these _products_?" He said strangely, gesturing to the merchandise.

"No, that's quite alright," Kyoya promptly refused. The man's eyes flashed oddly, though quickly his demeanor quickly straightened out and he went back to friendly and charming.

"Alrighty then! Have a nice day!" He exclaimed.

With murmurs of 'you too', the host club left the store, all but one brushing off the interaction.

 _There's something off about that shopkeeper..._ Kyoya thought.

"Mommy! What is this?!" He heard his best friend yell for him, pointing at some sort of stand with remote-controlled devices. Seeing as Tamaki was about to begin to bother the salesman, he left, momentarily forgetting about the bizarre man.

* * *

Walking into the surprisingly large clothing store, Haruhi, was slightly impressed. She had never been in this store of the mall, for the clothes were far too expensive for her, though she supposed to her 'guests', it was a mere drop in the bucket. Once they were in the store, she noticed that strangely enough, there was no kids section. Wondering why Kirimi would want to go to this specific store, the girl in question began to pull her to the side, away from Nekozawa. Taking the hint, she turned to him. "Kirimi-chan wants to look at some clothes with me for a bit. Just look around and wait for us." She smiled, looking apologetic as Kirimi pulled her behind a mannequin.

Beckoning her to bend down, Haruhi could only wonder what the girl was up to. Kirimi but her hand behind her ear, as if about to tell some big secret she didn't want anyone else to hear. "We're going to give big brother a fashion makeover." Haruhi gave her a quizzical look. Nekozawa and 'fashion makeover' somehow didn't belong in the same sentence. Seeing her perplexed expression, she continued, "big brother is always tripping over his big robe, so I want to see if we can find him a s-subst-"

Seeing she was struggling with the word, Haruhi finished for her, "substitute." Seeing her fervent nod, Haruhi couldn't help but agree. She was never one for fashion or appearance, but if it was causing him some physical detriment, there had to be something more efficient available. "Okay," she agreed, "but only if he agrees to it."

Seeing the young girl beam at her with a bright 'yay!' Haruhi found herself smiling too. Hopefully, Nekozawa would be up for a change in clothes.

Approaching her older classmate, she noticed he was eyeing some black sweaters and pants in one section of the store. She peeked over his shoulder, surprised to see he had already gotten a black t-shirt in his arms. "What're you doing?" Haruhi asked innocently, surprising her senpai. He turned around with a start, dropping the article of clothing in his arm. He bent down to pick it up at the same time as her, bumping their foreheads' together and causing a flash of pain to run through him, he quickly got up and silently checked to see she was alright and stepped away from her. She had been too close.

"O-oh! Fujioka-kun! I-I was just..." he stuttered nervously, and for the first time, she saw her senpai truly flustered. He looked so... _humbled,_ standing in a regular clothing store, cheeks flushed and eyes averted, nothing like the dark magic overlord he tried to pass off as at school. Deciding to help him out of his predicament, she opened her mouth.

"It's okay. Hey, uh, Kirimi-chan wants to give you a fashion makeover and I'd told her I'd help as long as you agree, so what do you say?" She smiled kindly at him, her big, bright brown eyes peering up into his dark ones, asking for an answer. He felt his heart rise to his throat and felt as though a swarm of butterflies had been released in his stomach and were fluttering furiously. _Maybe I should see the doctor once we get back._ He thought with a gulp. Finally, registering her question, he allowed a sense of dread to go through him at her words.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, especially if it'll make Kirimi happy. I'll do it." He resolved with a determined expression. Haruhi stifled a giggle, the sound making him turn to her with a quizzical expression. Something about this situation and setting and how he reacted to it was so...so... _endearing_ to her, causing an uncharacteristic giddiness to pass through her. _Maybe it's a side-effect of the curse?_ She wondered, brushing off her feelings. Regaining her composure, she waved to Kirimi, signaling her to come over.

"Did big brother agree? Oh please tell me you said yes!" She enthused shyly, looking between the two teens.

"Of course I did, Kirimi, j-just please nothing too bright. And I can't stay out of my robe too long." He said, stating his conditions. Kirimi smiled at him widely, her grin taking up half her face.

"Okay! What were you looking at here?" Kirimi looked at the t-shirt he dropped, "It's so dark! But I guess it'll do." She went over to the area he was in and grabbed a pair of pants that seemed to be his size and one of the sweaters he was eyeing, also in his size. "Change into this now, I wanna see how big brother looks!" She said in all her childlike innocence, causing Haruhi to reflect her smile. Nekozawa however, looked to be frozen in place.

"Chop chop! We don't have all day! You heard her." Haruhi teased, her eyes flashing for a second. This curse was truly causing her to change a bit, or maybe it was Nekozawa... _no that preposterous._ She thought, brushing aside her thoughts as the older man made his way into the men's changing rooms.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion behind her. "I don't see why we couldn't stop to get the doll first! Haruhi would've appreciated the gift, I'm sure of it! Mommy, are you sure she's here?"

She.

Knew.

That.

_Voice!_

Turning around with a sense of horror and dread, she saw the whole host club making their way into the clothing store, looking around. She turned to Kirimi, frantic.

"Hey bookworm, it's the reverse harem! And there's other big brother!" She smiled, about to wave them over, though was stopped by Haruhi putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. If they see me here, they'll stay with us the whole time and won't let us finish with your brother's makeover." Haruhi reasoned. She started coming up with a way to avoid this. In theory, she could change her clothes and have Kirimi purchase them for her, and then change back into them, that way they wouldn't recognize her...though the problem was if the hosts saw Nekozawa, they would be caught. She needed a better plan. How'd they even know she was here?! She then remembered her text from earlier. She didn't give anything away, how could they— _Kyoya._ Kirimi snapped her out of her reverie.

"Huh, if it was only other big brother it would be okay. _Buuuut_ , since it's all of them, we should hide!" The child's eyes lit up at the prospect. "Like hide and seek! Hold on bookworm I have a great idea!" She said enthusiastically as she grabbed Haruhi's arm and led her towards the changing rooms.

"Kirimi where are we—WOAH!" At the last second, she realized Kirimi was taking her to the men's changing stalls. While the others may not think to look for her there, nothing's stopping them from going in to change and therefore, hindering her escape. She hopes Kirimi has a plan.

"Big brother!" She yelled at a stall door. She assumed it was Nekozawa's, though how Kirimi knew it was his was beyond Haruhi. When the door opened, revealing her senpai, she suddenly felt herself being thrown in. "Hide Haruhi!" She instructed, a malicious gleam in her eye as she ran away, towards the hosts.

Haruhi took in Nekozawa's appearance after getting adjusted to her settings. He was nearly finished changing, though it seemed he was about to start putting on the shirt when Kirimi barged in. Blushing at his nakedness, she quickly roamed her eyes over his lean, toned body— _not to muscled, not to loose—_ she noted with appreciation. She suddenly shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. _What am I thinking?! That's my senpai!_ Still, she felt a surge of heat at the thought of this situation she's never been in before: being alone with a shirtless guy in a small, enclosed space. As her eyes traveled upwards, she noticed Nekozawa blushing furiously. _Oh my god I just checked out a guy right in front of him and he noticed how do I get out of this—_

"What's wrong? Why'd Kirimi drop out off here?" He asked calmly, his tone contrasting greatly with her pounding heart. She calmed herself down as quickly as she could, reverting back to her normal, calm, indifferent ways.

"The hosts are here and I didn't wanna get caught, so I asked Kirimi not to alert them of our presence. I just didn't think she'd hide me... _here."_ She trailed off, the heat returning to her cheeks.

He nodded in understanding, "I see." Just as they were about to continue discussing what to do, they heard voices near the entrance of the changing area.

"-are you even here for, boss?" One voice asked.

"Yeah, it's not like Haruhi would be hiding in here." Another voice cut in.

"Maybe..." the first voice trailed off.

"He's a peeping Tom!" Both voices finished together. On the other side of the stall, Hikaru and Kaoru had their backs turned to the stall door, Tamaki facing them.

He sputtered with indignation. "W-what?! That's ridiculous! I'm just here to make sure! And to see if commoners clothing would be a good theme for the next club session." He hastily explained. Haruhi sighed with relief. As long as they didn't come out, they wouldn't have to worry about being caught.

"Hey what was that sound?" She heard Kaoru ask.

"Hey, those look like...Haruhi's shoes!"

She panicked as she heard Hikaru make his way towards their stall. If he bent down enough, he would see her uniform and shoes and know she was there. Nekozawa seemed to notice this too, as, without warning, he picked her up and pushed her against the wall she was near. She stifled a startled yelp as she realized what was happening. Slowly, and without her minds' consent, she wrapped her legs around his torso and smirked. She didn't realize, but her eyes glinted in a strange way, something Nekozawa noted with keen interest. He felt his whole body heating up. He made up his mind to go to the doctor after all this was over.

Momentarily forgetting he was supposed to be dying from the light touching his skin, he then felt a strange vibration reverberating on his bare neck. Was she... _purring?_ No, she was humming, he realized, and it had a strange effect on him.

His eyes, now half-lidded, raked over her form. She was just as petite as she looked, though now that he was pressed up against her, he could feel her womanly aspects— _all_ of them. He was all too aware of her small but developing chest, the way her subtle yet graceful curves fit around his hand as if they were made for him. Worst(read: best) of all, he was all TOO aware of how his... _lower_ area felt near hers, nearly making him pass out from the intensity of it all. It took all his willpower to not lose control of that part of him for the time being. He felt as though his entire being was engulfed in flames, her gaze burning into his very soul. He was suffocating in the essence of her, yearning to kiss the petite woman in his arms, and was moments away from doing so.

Hearing the hosts walk away, he was suddenly snapped out of his trance and looked at her face. She was beet red and wide-eyed staring back at him.

What just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't change much this chapter, but the next one will be brand new, seeing as how I left it off here before. Please tell me your thoughts and opinions in the comments! Next chapter is a little longer than usual, and contains a bonus scene, so I'll upload it a little later than normal(Don't worry, I promise not to leave it on this cliffhanger). Until then, happy reading and stay safe!


	6. What Just Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things become awkward for Nekozawa and Haruhi.

"Hah, who's the peeping Tom now?" Tamaki exclaimed. Hikaru scowled and backed away from the bottom of the stall door he was inspecting. Kaoru wrapped a supportive arm around him.

"Shut up, Tono. I bet if you saw Haruhi's shoes there you would have no problem disturbing whoever was in there, Haruhi or not." Hikaru reasoned. Tamaki looked at him, pale as a sheet.

"T-that's not...stop putting words in my mouth!" He said, finally finding the words to say.

"Whatever. Let's get out of here, it's obvious she's not here anymore." Kaoru cut in.

"B-but what about _commoner couture_ as our next theme! Don't you want to see Haruhi dressed as if she was in her natural habitat?!" Tamaki insisted as he was dragged by both twins out of the dressing area. "Think about it! Haruhi dressed in her regular commoner clothing, lounging on the host club's sofa as if it were hers, relaxing with that cute little smile..."

_*Tamaki's Inner Mind Theatre*_   
_-3-_   
_-2-_   
_-1-_

_Tamaki opened the door to a very humble-looking apartment, carrying some groceries. "Haruhi, I'm home!" He called out jovially._

_"Oh, Tamaki my sweet! You've made it!" She replied with a tone as sweet as honey, practically dripping with adoration. This prompted him to look over at her, a wide blush settling in his face as he did so._

_Haruhi was laying Cleopatra-style on the couch, a bag of chips on one side, and a tub of ice cream in another. She wore a rather plain t-shirt and shorts, but that did nothing to take away from her beauty, in Tamaki's eyes. She smiled at him, a few crumbs on her face she tried to wipe away, but to no avail._

_"Here," he offered softly, leaning closer to her, cupping her cheek. "Let me..." they leaned in, closer and closer until—_

_*end Tamaki's Inner Mind Theatre*_

"WAAAAAH! Let me clean your cute face for you Haruhi, daddy's got it!" He squealed in a rather undignified manner.

The twins watched this display in boredom, used to his antics. Hikaru, tired and just wanting to see Haruhi at this point, spoke up, "come on Tono, she's not here. Let's go look somewhere else." Tamaki, seeing there was no Haruhi in sight, relented and nodded, making his way to the exit.

Hikaru paused and stopped for a second. _Strange..._ he thought. _I could've sworn I saw Haruhi's shoes there for a moment. Now that I think about it, was there someone else with her in that stall—_ "Hikaru, hurry up! Tono thinks he saw Haruhi!" His twin called over. Seeing their club leader about to harass an innocent brunette woman, he snapped out of his reverie. _I'm sure it was just a coincidence._ He reasoned.

"Okay, I'm coming!"

* * *

Kirimi made her way back to the dressing area once she saw the hosts taking their leave. Finding the stall her brother and her babysitter were in, she peeked around to make sure no one was near and knocked on the door. "Big brother! Bookworm! The debauchery group is gone now, you can come out!" She heard some shuffling when suddenly the door swung open, revealing her brother with his new outfit on and Haruhi, both with their faces flushed beet red. Distantly, Haruhi heard something fall behind her but dismissed it.

"Kirimi-chan! So they're really gone now?" Haruhi asked, peering around.

"Yeah, they just left. Say, bookworm... you..." she looked around, her eyes seeming to settle on something until snapping back to hers, "...what's it called? Oh right, you stand out too much. We should give you a makeover too!" The young girl offered enthusiastically.

As Haruhi began to decline her offer, she thought it over. Kirimi did have a point, her school uniform in this regular mall did stand out quite a lot, and she would imagine it would make it way too easy for Kyoya's spies to find her. Nodding, she stated, "you're right, what do you think I should get?"

The moment those words left her mouth, she instantly regretted them. "Oh, where to begin...?" Kirimi said, with a face-splitting smile

What did she just get herself into?

* * *

Nekozawa was a mess—no even worse than that, he was an absolute, complete, and utter WRECK. He had already paid and changed into his new outfit, and while it was noticeably _much_ more efficient than his cloak, that was the least of his concerns. What was that back there? By what dark god had compelled him to act the way he did? Feeling her curvature? Admiring her womanly physique? _Who am I?! Has someone placed a curse upon me?_ He began to wonder. As he pondered what kind of curse could cause him to feel so strange, Haruhi finally emerged from the dressing room.

_"_ Big brother, say hello to Haruhi 2.0!" Kirimi exclaimed excitedly. Preparing his apologies, his words fell off his mouth as he took in her appearance. Haruhi wore a white bodycon dress. It tugged at all her curves in just the right places without seeming too tight or constricting. It seemed they even found hair extensions, allowing her hair to be as flowy and beautiful and the dress she wore. She seemed to have also gotten some accessories: diamond earrings complimenting the dress, a white (pearl?) bracelet, with the same purpose, and a matching necklace, showing off her slender neck and a modest amount of cleavage, and lastly, a small silver ring on her ring finger. This, paired with the seductive vibe her siren self gave off, made her look like quite the temptress; All in all, Haruhi looked—

_angelic._

Nekozawa stood like an idiot for a while until Haruhi cleared her throat, embarrassed. "D-do you like it?" She asked timidly.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he nodded, words seeming to be difficult at the moment. "Gorgeous..." was all he uttered, and it seemed to have the desired effect, as her face became a lovely red color.

Kirimi watched this all in complete shock. The way Nekozawa gazed at her, how Haruhi reacted to his compliment. _How they both came out of the dressing room, flustered._ It all made sense now! Her brother had a thing for the crossdresser? _Her brother had a thing for the crossdresser!_ She smiled in glee, a plot already hatching in her young, yet matured mind. She had already been planning to matchmake the two, but knowing what she did now... _Oh just you wait big brother...your life just became my new shoujo manga!_

"Well we should pay for all this now, thank you Kirimi-chan, for helping me choose this all out. I could never be this fashionable without your advice!" Haruhi said with a smile. Kirimi liked Haruhi. _The bookworm would be good for big brother,_ she thought, considering how much he came out of his shell after meeting her. _It's just like how Akito gave up his life of crime after Hana confessed her love for him!_ With newfound resolve, she found her opportunity to strike.

_"_ It was nothing." Kirimi replied with a smile. She saw her chance. "But..." she trailed off, "who's paying?"

This got a 'huh?' from both the older teens. "Well..." she began to explain, "bookworm is poor so she can't pay for all this stuff. I don't think she even brought her wallet!" She said slyly.

"Yes I did, I know I have it here... somewhere," Haruhi said, looking around for said wallet. Kirimi held it in front of herself, cunningly. "Hey! Give me my wallet back!"

"I will!" She defended herself, "but how will you pay for all this without your wallet? There must be _something_ we can do..." _and cue puppy dog eyes to big brother..._ The reaction was instant.

"I'll pay for your outfit, Fujioka-kun. After all, it's my fault that we're in this situation." Nekozawa offered up, his words having 2 meanings.

Haruhi immediately began to protest, "no, you don't have to do that senpai, I'm sure I have enoug— what?!" She exclaimed, checking the price tag. It would take at least 3 months' worth of her food budget to pay for this. "How can a dress cost that much?! With that much money, you'd think I could fly too!"

Seeing her reaction to such a 'small' price amused Nekozawa. He began to laugh; it began with a small chuckle until it progressed to a full-blown-tears-in-eyes laugh. It became infectious, and it wasn't long until both of them began to nearly choke on their own saliva from how hard they were laughing. They began to get odd looks from passerby's. Soon, the laughter began to die down, until it was just small giggles here and there. It wasn't even that funny, they just needed to find some sort of relief in the crazy situation they've been put into, and that was the perfect opportunity. Once they completely got back to their senses, they realized Kirimi was smiling oddly at them.

"What is it?" They asked in unison. Before they could go back to hitting the floor in laughter, Kirimi intervened.

"We should start to pay now. I think that person has been watching us for a while." She said, a little creeped out.

"Who?" Nekozawa looked around for the culprit.

Kirimi pointed somewhere but then stated, "oh. They're not there anymore. Oh well." Shrugging it off as her imagination, Nekozawa paid for the outfit, much to Haruhi's dismay and insistence to pay him back. After everything was settled, they made their way out of the store, oblivious to the pair of eyes now watching and following them.

_Just who are you, Haruhi?_

* * *

"Hey, isn't that the store you were eyeing on the way out the toy store? The one with all the ancient relics and stuff?" Looking over to where Haruhi was pointing, Nekozawa nodded. They were walking down the mall now, trying to leave undetected. However, this was impossible due to their appearance—they looked like quite the couple. Their new outfits made them look all the more mature, and with the addition of Kirimi following them, they looked like a married couple already with their first child.

"Yes, but I wouldn't want to keep you at risk of getting caught with me here by Suoh and the others." He replied coolly.

"Oh, no! It wouldn't be a bother to me at all! I still have an hour or two until my dad gets home. We could go to one last store." She insisted, her wide brown eyes peering into his very core. Nekozawa was never one for appearances or looks, but it wasn't until then he truly understood the meaning of drop-dead gorgeous.

"What about Kirimi? She's scared of the dark." He voiced his concern, waving away his thoughts on her beauty.

Haruhi smiled calmly, "it's okay. As I said, I can just hum to her while we're in there. And if it gets too scary, I'll wait at the entrance with her."He nodded. Satisfied with his approval, they made their way into the dark shop.

Walking through the eerily dark entrance, the group heard a little 'ding!' signifying to the storeowners that there were new customers. There were not many other shoppers in the quaint little store, something which pleased Nekozawa plenty. Seeing one of the salespeople approaching, he and Haruhi turned their attention towards the man.

"Greetings! How are you all this fine day?" He asked jovially, contrasting with the shadowy atmosphere of the store. He was taller than Haruhi, perhaps 5'8, and seemed to be in his mid to late 20's. He looked to be well-groomed and well dressed. He was holding some sort of staff with a ball at the end of it.

Sensing Nekozawa's apprehension, Haruhi smiled in turn. "We're doing just fine. We just noticed your store here and we thought we'd take a look around." Taking a closer look now, she could see he was not an employee, but the owner, if his name tag was anything to go by— _Antique Plaza— ARATA: OWNER._

The store owner smiled, noticing Kirimi, who was currently hiding shyly behind Haruhi's leg. "And who is this little one? Your daughter?" Haruhi and Nekozawa turned as red as tomatoes, sputtering for a second.

This time it was Nekozawa who answered, "ah, no—this is actually my younger sister, Kirimi." The store owner smiled, blushing a bit as his mistake.

"Forgive me, I don't believe I caught your name...?" He trailed off.

"Nekozawa." He answered.

"Nekozawa-San. It's just that you and the lovely lady here seemed to have tied the knot and the such." He motioned to her hand, making Nekozawa notice the gem on her ring finger. _How did I not remember that?_ He thought to himself.

"Oh, this?" Haruhi piped up seeing their confused stares. She continued, "I got it for 500¥ at that store just now." Both the store owner and Nekozawa sweatdropped at this.

The owner awkwardly started, "I thought you two looked too young once you got closer. Sorry, my mistake." He rubbed his neck embarrassedly.

The dark arts practitioner smiled reassuringly at the man. "It's no problem— we were just gonna take a look around."

"I'll leave you to it then." He smiled. As he turned around, she noticed the slogan for the store (Antique Plaza) written on the back of his shirt— _Behind the times can do._

With that, the now well-dressed Haruhi, Nekozawa, and Kirimi all made their way into the shop with no further hassle.

For the next 10 minutes or so, they wandered around the shop, looking at miscellaneous things. Not knowing what to expect, Haruhi was startled when she ran into a girl.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" The girl said with a laugh. Her voice was high pitched and light, and if porcelain dolls could come alive, Haruhi was sure she'd be one of them. Her eyes were a captivating light amber color, her hair was a stunning platinum blonde, and her skin was as pale as snow. She was holding a white handbag with gold accents, definitely much more expensive than someone of Haruhi's status could ever hope to buy.

"Oh no it's fine, what're you looking at there?" She gestured to the orb resembling a crystal ball situated on the dark table, curiously examining it.

"Oh, this?" The pretty girl asked innocently, picking up the object in question.

It was a glowing white orb held in what looked to be green coral covered in moss, its branches forming the illusion of hands holding the ball. The design was so curious, the Haruhi had to wonder if it was real.

"This is one of the pearls from the _coronam margarita_ —it's Latin for pearl crown. It's said that long ago, the people of Atlantis adapted to life underwater, forming a sort of mermaid society. They built a monument to a god that was said to give them the ability to live underwater. They spent years working on this monument, many losing their lives in the process. In return for those who lose their lives, the god granted each deceased one a wish before they went on to the afterlife. Many Atlantans were said to have wished for their loved ones to have riches and good health, but one merman, in particular, _Talan_ , wished for something his relatives could utilize for centuries. He wished for each of the 7 pearls in the monument's crown to hold magical properties."

Haruhi was stunned speechless. Mermaid society? Could it be—

The girl, oblivious to Haruhi's inner musings, continued. "It's said that this pearl is the 3rd out of the 7 to hold magical properties. It is said that any creature of the sea can utilize its magical properties to see the solution to any problem they may have. Though, seeing as humans aren't 'creatures of the sea', no one knows if it is true. It's still highly valuable, though." The girl finished.

Haruhi's mind ran wild. She was technically a 'creature of the sea'. Was it possible she could find out a way to break the curse with this relic?

"How do you know all this?" She asked the girl, who was now staring at her intently.

"Oh—how rude of me! I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Jaakuna Tekki, second year at Ouran highschool. My parents run a scuba diving company dedicated to restoring reefs, though recently they've been expanding their work to submarines and  
such." The girl, Jaakuna, told Haruhi with a smile. She honestly seemed to be a nice girl, and Haruhi was sure she'd a good acquaintance. Though Ouran highschool? Haruhi was sure she'd never seen this girl up until now.

"I go to ouran too. How is it I've never seen you around?" She asked politely. At this, the girl looked a little crestfallen, though quickly perked up again to answer her question.

"Oh yeah, I recently just moved here with my parents, after an incident...but it's all good now!" She reassured her.

Haruhi eyed her with suspicion but decided to drop it. The girl seemed nice enough, what could she possibly hide?

"How much is this then?" If this pearl was truly the key to breaking the curse, she needed to have it, no matter the price. Even if she didn't have the money on her now (and she doubted she did) she would just ask Nekozawa to pay, and (of course) pay it off afterward. It couldn't be too much, could it?

"It's ¥800,000," Jaakuna stated as if she was talking about the weather. Haruhi sweatdropped. Even though that amount was like a drop in the bucket of what she owed the host club, it was still a lot. Could she even pay that off in addition to her debt?

Seeing her concern at the price, Jaakuna smiled kindly at her, "There's no need to worry, it's not that much! Even then, it's not like you could buy it— I already did."

Before Haruhi could even react, she felt a tug at her leg. Looking down, she saw Kirimi giving her a pleading look that said ' _I'm scared, please help me."_

Without hesitation, Haruhi picked the young girl up so that her head rested on her shoulder and began to hum soothingly in her ear as she did before. The song was a random melody she remembers hearing from a ballet when she was younger, and her mother occasionally used to hum it too. She turned a bit so that Kirimi's peaceful expression was apparent to the other girl present. When she began to feel the girl relax in her arms, she settled for just rocking her softly. Looking up, the brunette met the wide-eyed stare of Jakkuna.

"H-how'd you get her to calm down so fast?" The blonde asked, in a daze.

Haruhi gave her a small grin and replied, "I guess my voice is just that soothing..! I'm not really sure what it is, but it gets the job done." She laughed it off.

Jaakuna seemed to buy that excuse, so Haruhi decided to get back to the task at hand.

"Hey, so—"

"There you both are! You worried me, Kirimi. I didn't know you'd run off like that." Nekozawa exclaimed with a huff. Kirimi (unbeknownst to everyone but Jaakuna) smiled slyly from Haruhi's shoulder. Quickly she put the 'scared little girl' facade back on and looked at her brother with glassy eyes.

"I'm sorry big bro! It's just that you went to that darker spot over there and I got scared!" She gave him her best puppy dog stare, knowing he wouldn't be upset with her in the slightest.

"It's okay Kirimi. I'm just glad you're okay." He then turned his attention to Haruhi, "thank you for watching out for her, again. Please, you must let me repay you someho—"

"That won't be necessary, senpai," Haruhi cut in. "Besides, Kirimi-chan found me here all by herself, isn't that right?" She smiled at the girl as she put her down.

Said girl beamed brightly. "Yeah, bookworm has such a calming voice! It's almost like how Hanako from _Mermaida_ sang to Hiroto to lure him into the ocean; Like _magic_." The gleam in Kirimi's eye was enough to unsettle Haruhi and Nekozawa. There was no way for her to know—how _could_ she know?

"Well, I'll be taking my leave then..!" Jaakuna said rather suddenly, startling Haruhi who forgot she was there. She walked out of the store briskly, seeming to be in a hurry.

"Wait—" Haruhi called after her, but it was already too late. Jaakuna was long gone, as were her chances of getting the relic she now possessed.

"Who was that just now, Fujioka-kun?" Nekozawa asked, handsomely peering down at his kohai. Haruhi's heart caught in her throat for a second, caught off guard by her sudden appraisal of his looks.

"...I'll tell you about it later. For now, we should get going. We do have school tomorrow after all." Haruhi reasoned.

He nodded in agreement, and in a sudden act of courage, Haruhi made a grab for his hand. A jolt ran up his arm and down his spine. He looked at her, surprised, only to be met with that strange glint in her eyes. "Wouldn't want to get separated from you, after all, it's pretty crowded right now." He followed her gaze. She was right— it was pretty crowded at this point, and seeing as how he wasn't familiar with the area, getting separated was not ideal.

Blushing, he nodded again, his words failing him. He noticed out the corner of his eye that Haruhi grabbed his sister's hand too. Trusting her to keep his sister safe, he allowed Haruhi to lead him out of the store.

* * *

A hooded silhouette ran quickly to a vehicle waiting just outside the building. A man emerged from the driver's seat, opening the backdoor for the hooded figure.

"I trust you found that mission of yours to be a success?" The driver asked once they were settled in.

"I'm still lacking the hardcore evidence I need, Daisuke." The hooded figure replied. The man, Daisuke, began the drove home, arching an eyebrow.

"But either way," the figure took down their hood, revealing platinum blonde hair and stunning amber eyes. "There's something strange about that Fujioka," Jaakuna smirked.

"And I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

* * *

"Remind me how we got here," a cool voice said.

The hosts were all waiting in their limo as the Tamaki and the twins fruitlessly attempted to scrub paint off themselves.

"It's not our fault the boss is an idiot," the twins spoke together, shrugging.

"Yeah, it's his fault we're even in this mess," Hikaru said.

Tamaki, covered in head to toe in dark blue paint, scowled at them. "Oh yeah? Well, I seem to recall _you_ were the one who made me fall onto that ladder!" He scoffed, "I didn't even see the man until afterward!"

Hunny's eyes widened, he and Mori having just regrouped with the others. "You made someone fall off a ladder?"

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to that treacherous beast over there!" He pointed an accusing finger at Hikaru, knowing for a fact it was him.

"You brought this on yourself, milord," he replied calmly.

"Yeah, how were Hikaru and I supposed to see you there? We were following the remote-controlled helicopter!" Kaoru came to his defense.

" _The helicopter_ was _NEXT TO MY HEAD_ you mischievous miscreants!" He argued back. They began to bicker back and forth.

"What happened to the man on the ladder?" Hunny asked with concern.

Kyoya answered swiftly, "he was fine, a little startled though." His glasses flashed, "good thing he only fell from the first step though." Hunny sweatdropped.

"Yeah, you would think that he would've managed to, _I don't know,_ NOT drop a bucket of paint on the boss and I at that height?" Hikaru offered sarcastically.

As he annoyedly scraped at the paint, he smirked, an idea coming to light. He inches closer to his twin, "I'm just sorry that I got paint all over myself, Kaoru, you must be so ashamed of me," he bashfully looked to the side. Quickly catching on, his Kaoru grabbed his chin and tilted his head upwards, making him come face to face with his twin.

"Nonsense Hikaru. After all," he smirked and leaned in putting his mouth near his ear but not lowering his volume, he said, "at least this gives me the excuse to touch you."

"Kaoru..."

"Hikaru..."

"Stop that you incestuous twins! These aren't club hours, there's no need for you to act in such a manner!" Tamaki yelled, clearly uneasy.

The twins, now in a loving (yet scandalous) embrace, looked up at their leader, identical smirks across their faces. "Who said it was an act...?" They said, turning to look at him with identical leers, eerily in the exact same tone. Tamaki flinched, thoroughly frightened. They smiled widely at this reaction, high-fiving. _Mission: Make Tamaki Uncomfortable— complete._

"That's enough, you two," Kyoya interjected. The car began to move.

"You're no fun Kyoya-senpai," the twins said in unison.

_Idiots..._ he spoke mentally. "Have you forgotten why we even came to such an area in the first place?" They all froze.

"Haruhi!"

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Haruhi shivered, a cold chill running down her spine.

"Is it too cold in here? I'll turn down the ac." Nekozawa, now clad in black, offered kindly.

"There's no need," she waved him off, Kirimi having been long gone in the depths of sleep, resting peacefully on Haruhi's lap.

"Where's Beelzenef?" Haruhi asked out of the blue. Nekozawa's eyes widened at the unexpected question.

"He's on vacation...said something about needing to find himself...?" He answered vaguely. In all honesty, when Beelzenef found out Nekozawa planned to study a siren, he promptly refused to go anywhere with him until he was far away from Haruhi. He mentioned something about having bad experiences with them, though didn't elaborate when asked.

As they continued to their destination in silence, she decided now was a good time as any to bring up what had really been on her mind. "Hey, senpai...?" She trailed off, blushing.

Seeing her awkward expression made blood rush to his cheeks as well. "Yes, Fujioka-kun?"

She snapped out of it, a frown marring her features. "You don't have to call me that—at least when we're alone. Call me by my first name." She beamed brightly, "it's more friendly that way."

His blush increased tenfold. ' _What is this girl doing to me?'_ He wondered. "O-okay..." he shyly accepted. Suddenly, he peeked up, mustering up his confidence. "Only if you call me by _my_ first name as well...when we're alone, of course." He smirked boldly.

"Okay... Umehito." She tested out his name, the syllables dancing across her tongue. He couldn't help but smile at her expression, she was _just so adorable._ Getting back on track, she gathered her wits and spoke, "about what happened earlier..."

He instantly lost all nerve at the sight of her shy smile. He unconsciously sunk deeper into his hood, attempting to hide from her large, chocolate orbs. She was referencing what happened in the changing room— no doubt about it. "W-what about that, Haruhi?" He tested out her name.

"I'm sorry for acting in such a manner, senpai." She stated bluntly. "I shouldn't have touched you as I did, and I'm sure I've made things uncomfortable between us...I apologize." She bowed respectfully in her seat, careful not to wake Kirimi.

"You apologize..?" Abruptly, he threw his head back and gave a hearty chuckle, nearly waking Kirimi. "I'm sorry, it's just that if anything _I_ should be the one apologizing, Haruhi." She tilted her head, confused. He elaborated, "I grabbed you without your consent. Granted, it was the only course of action I could think to take, but it was inappropriate of me." He bowed, mimicking her earlier actions, "I apologize for my misconduct to your being."

She laughed— _actually laughed—_ at his fumbling, flushed appearance. "What are we doing?" She chuckled a smile dancing across her lips, "look at us, apologizing even though neither of us thinks the other did any wrong." She held out her arms for a small hug, "forgive and forget?" She offered lamely.

Nekozawa didn't think he'd ever forget what happened in that stall room, but for her sake, he accepted the hug. "Forgive and forget." With that said and done, Haruhi decided she would bring up her newfound powers another day, when things were quieter and when they were in the right environment...there were too many eyes and ears here. If Beelzenef were here, he would've laughed at Nekozawa's foolishness ten times over at this point.

"Say..." Nekozawa started. Haruhi quirked an eyebrow. "How did Kirimi come to know of your gender?" He asked.

Just as Haruhi prepared an answer, the words died in her throat. How did Kirimi know...? She peered down at the peaceful form on her lap.

Inwardly, Kirimi smirked, feigning sleep. _Wouldn't you like to know, bookworm?_

* * *

_ Bonus Scene _

Kirimi noticed a lot of things. Whether it was where her teacher had misplaced her pencil, or where her maid attempted to hide her Christmas presents, Kirimi was very observant for a child her age.

That's why it was a bit of a surprise when her keen senses began to pick up on strange things surrounding a certain honor student, little cues telling her something was not quite right. At first, she brushed it off, thinking it to be her imagination, but deep down, she knew she was right.

The bookworm was kind and friends with her brother, something that placated her for the time being. She was happy her brother had made a friend she also enjoyed hanging out with...though things quickly became a bit strange when she noticed her brother's stares lingering a bit longer than usual on the bookworm, pupils a slightly more dilated.

Initially, her mind ran to _yaoi,_ though he never seemed to express interest in any other boys (other than Haruhi, that is). It all grew to be stranger and stranger still. Finally, it all resolved at that moment when she observed their flushed faces, leaving the changing stall. Hearing the _clack_ of something falling, she let her gaze flit over to the object in question, noticing it to be some sort of school identification. Checking the name, she noted it was Haruhi's, and she allowed her eyes to move across it until she saw something that grabbed her attention. Gender.

_Bookworm...is a girl?_

Suddenly it all made sense— the strange feeling, the elongated stares...her babysitter was not _only_ a girl, but her brother had a _thing_ for her! Not knowing if her brother was aware of this secret (though she assumed he was), she discreetly picked up the I.D and placed it back in the bookworm's wallet when she wasn't looking.

_Bookworm...big brother..._ she smirked.

_I'm about to rock your world._

* * *

_Deleted Part_  
Nekozawa was a mess—no even worse than that, he was an absolute, complete, and utter WRECK. He had already paid and changed into his new outfit, and while it was noticeably _much_ more efficient than his cloak, that was the least of his concerns. What was that back there? By what dark god had compelled him to act the way he did? Feeling her curvature? Admiring her womanly physique? _Ooo a woman, me touchy touch (_ _͡_ _͜ʖ ͡_ _°). Nekozawa likey-wikey ;))_ he thought. As he began to ponder different ways to 'appraise her beauty', he suddenly stopped, deeply disturbed.

_Who am I?! Has someone placed a curse upon me?_ He began to wonder. As he pondered what kind of curse could cause him to feel so strange, Haruhi finally emerged from the dressing room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the antagonist finally makes herself known. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had this sitting in my drafts, incomplete, for the longest time. I'm so glad I finally finished this! The next chapter will take a while to come out, but I'm already working on it. PLEASE leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments, they help keep me motivated and remind me to keep writing. Tell me what you thought of this, I tried to make everyone as in-character as possible. As a bonus, there was a deleted part my friend added that I couldn't leave in the final product, enjoy.


	7. Watching and Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruhi gets kidnapped by the Zuka club and the hosts don’t know how to react.

"Haruhi!"

Immediately after realizing what they had forgotten, the host club was sent into a panic.

"My darling daughter! We left her in the store! I know daddies sometimes forget their daughters at the store, but I didn't expect that to happen to _us_! Who knows what could happen to her, alone, forced to scrounge for food until her days are cruelly numbered—" their king rambled on in a hurry, imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios 'their daughter' could've found herself in.

"I declare we turn this car around at once!" He announced, staring daggers into the direction where the button he sought was located. "Kyoya, as your club president I _demand_ you move so I can tell the driver to turn back!" He ordered, mustering up all the authority he held within his being, unleashing it, unrestrained onto the unsuspecting Kyoya.

"No."

Tamaki instantly froze, becoming pale as a sheet.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me," Kyoya glowered.

"Bu-but why, mommy...? For what reason could we possibly not retrieve our daughter from the store?" Tamaki gave his friend his signature puppy-dog eyed stare, hoping to change his mind.

"Because, _Daddy_..." Kyoya said in such a way that made shivers go down each of the hosts' spine. "Have you forgotten that we've been _oh so kindly_ KICKED OUT?" he spoke, venom in his tone. Before the king could protest once more, he silenced him with a glare.

In all honesty, if Kyoya truly wanted to, he would've found a way around the temporary ban and reclaimed the younger host. That was the thing, however— he couldn't.

Not only did she somehow manage to bypass the spies he sent out to find her, but by the time they did find her, she was already leaving the mall (apparently she also had a change of clothes which had aided in her avoidance). He could've very well asked them to continue pursuing her, but with the paint incident occurring around that time, he ignored the report until it was too late. _I'll have to have a word with them later,_ he thought, already trying to come up with logical ways she may have avoided his spies. He just hoped none of the hosts would ask him where she was now—

"So where's Haru-chan now?"

He silently cursed Hunny under his breath.

"I'm afraid she's already left the store, Hunny-senpai." He answered without really answering. Now, he truly wished they wouldn't ask where she's going next. Hopefully, they'll assume she's on her way home and leave it at that—

"So where's she going to?" The twins asked in unison.

"Yeah, you didn't say if my darling daughter Haruhi was going home yet or not," Tamaki cut in. Kyoya prepared an answer, knowing he could fool the others into assuming without revealing anything outright.

Just as he began to formulate the words, a horrible thought struck him. He may able to work around questions on Haruhi's whereabouts, but he wasn't sure if there was a way to do such a thing if they outright asked about his reports. It's a good thing he didn't tell them about—

"Hey, you didn't tell us much about your sources, Kyo-chan. Who was Haru-chan even with earlier?"

He could've screamed, jumped out of the car, and ran away Naruto style at that moment, but all the others saw was a stoic blink. Amidst the chaos that was the host club, he had forgotten that he had already told them about his 'sources'. He quietly berated himself. "My, aren't we curious today? Well, some complications arose," he quickly gave them a look that practically screeched _don't ask,_ "so all I can confirm is that she was spotted with a hooded figure and a child. She was last seen getting into a black vehicle."

At last, he was prepared for their next question. It came as neither a shock nor a surprise when Hikaru asked, "complications?"

"Yes, it seems that due to your _carelessness_ , I had missed an important report and my men had lost sight of Haruhi." Kyoya's glasses glinted. "I assure you, before you go off on those antics of yours again, that Haruhi is perfectly well and safe. In fact," he nearly smiled, glancing down at his phone, "she's on her way home as we speak."

"Wait, I'm confused...so they lost sight of Haruhi and now they found her again?" Hikaru asked.

"That would be... _correct,_ I suppose," he lied. In actuality, he hadn't wanted to divulge into the matter any further than needed. He had simply texted Haruhi's father, knowing full well that he was the only other person (other than Kyoya, that is) that kept tabs on Haruhi nearly 24/7.

Ignoring how creepily Kyoya had said all that, the host club began to chatter amongst themselves. "So...dark hooded figure and a child? Just who exactly was Haruhi with?" Tamaki asked. Everyone stopped and gave thought to this question.

Kyoya mulled over this, looking at it from all angles. His men hadn't caught the identity of the people accompanying Haruhi due to her bizarre disappearance. He also hadn't had much time to ponder this, seeing as how he was busy before. Dark hooded figure and child? That reminds him of—"Nekozawa-senpai!"

His eyes, along with the other hosts' eyes snapped up to the person who said this. Tamaki looked frightened at the mention of the cloaked senior, terror in his eyes at the mere mention of his name. The rest of the hosts, however, seemed relatively unfazed. "Huh? What business would he have with Haru-chan?" Hunny innocently asked.

Kaoru, the one who spoke(or at least Kyoya assumed by the voice), blushed visibly under the scrutiny of the others'. "Well... he fits the description."

Seeing where his twin was going with this, Hikaru continued, "... _Annnd_ we saw him talking to her the other day!" He realized. Kyoya was caught off guard for a moment, though none of the other occupants in the car noticed. _This is new,_ he thought. He would have to look into this as soon as possible. This disturbed him though— how was it that she somehow managed to hide so many things from him lately? Was he simply just off his game?

"W-what business would that _demon_ have with Haruhi?!" Tamaki cried out in fear.

"She said he was just thanking her for reading to Kirimi-chan—"

"So we didn't think anything of it." They finished with a shrug.

"So you miscreants let yet another miscreant harass my dear daughter? Shame on you!" Tamaki frowned, visibly concerned.

"It's not like we let him, milord." Kaoru started

"Yeah, by the time we saw them, he was already leaving and we saw no reason to follow him." Hikaru continued.

Kyoya took in this new information, logging it into his mysterious black notebook. So Nekozawa had taken an interest in Haruhi? Or had he simply just been thankful that Haruhi cared for his sister?

"Even still, that doesn't explain why they may have gone shopping together." Mori couldn't help but ask out loud. It seems even the silent, stoic host was also concerned about the small girl.

"So are you saying Haruhi _lied_ about what he said?" Tamaki inquired. This gave everyone pause. Haruhi has been acting strangely lately, and yet she somehow managed to evade all their suspicions with perfect excuses. Almost _too_ perfect...

"But I thought Haru-chan was a bad liar...? Didn't you say that Kyo-chan?" Hunny asked, confused. This wasn't good. Everyone was beginning to question him, and worse yet, he didn't even have answers this time. He was so... _frustrated_ with Haruhi at that moment. _She_ had been the one acting weird, and yet _he_ was the one under interrogation. The next time he saw her, he vowed to question the crap out of her. He needed to deflect the blame off of him and (rightfully) onto her.

" _I_ never said she lied. Nekozawa-senpai simply could've caught her at a later time and asked her to go shopping with him; it doesn't necessarily imply she had lied to the twins— only that they hadn't seen _when_ exactly she had been asked to go." He replied coolly. He stood by what he said. Haruhi had probably just been asked later, out of sight, away from his radar...

"None of this is making any sense! Why has Haruhi gotten so evasive lately?" Kaoru commented. Kyoya nearly smirked. His words had their intended effect. _Perfect._

"Before I knew everything about my daughter...so then why has she been keeping secrets?" Tamaki asked.

After a moment of silence, Hunny spoke. "Haru-Chan has a right to her privacy." He smiled brightly, "You have secrets too, right Tama-Chan?"

"Well, I suppose—"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem if Haru-chan has a few of her own. Think about it Tama-chan." Hunny stated reasonably. Kyoya could've killed him at that moment, but he thought it over. If the others stopped looking into her case, he would have time to gather his wits and gather intel. Then, when they decided to look into her case again, he would have all the necessary information. Yes, this was a good plan. _Perfect._

"I have to agree with Hunny-senpai," he started, cutting off what would be Tamaki's refusal. "Haruhi isn't a child, Tamaki. You may refer to her as your daughter, but she is very much capable of making her own decisions. Don't you think it's time for once we let this one slide?" Kyoya explained calmly.

Everyone immediately became suspicious.

"That's odd of you, Kyoya-senpai." One twin started.

"Normally you would jump at the chance to investigate Haruhi." The other continued.

"It's almost like..." he nearly sweatdropped. There's no way _the twins_ of all people figured out his plan so easily, right?

"You're starting to respect other people's boundaries!" They said in unison. He mentally sighed in relief. They had no idea. He decided he would let the conversation take whatever flow it went in, only cutting in to keep it in a general direction.

"Is that true, Mommy? Are you starting to let our daughter become independent? Oh tell me, Kyoya, I must know!" Tamaki beamed brightly, getting too close for comfort.

"Sure, _Daddy,"_ he nearly growled the word out but managed to keep his tone under control. He knew that playing along with Tamaki's delusion would only help his cause. It had its intended effect.

Tamaki took no notice to the near seductive tone his friend used and only smiled wider. Rubbing his cheek against Kyoya affectionately, he proclaimed, "Oh joyous day! Well, if Mommy thinks Haruhi can be more independent, then I say we let her! Gentlemen, from this day forward, I say we let Haruhi have more freedom!" With that being declared by their king, the others knew they'd be roped into it regardless. A few questions remained, though.

"How do you plan on doing that, boss? We still haven't even figured out who she was with." The twins spoke in unison.

"For your first question, I say next time Haruhi does something suspicious, we let her have her secret. She's not obligated to tell anyone—except me of course. As for your second one, I say we give her a chance to explain herself."

This immediately rose protests from the club members. "Now hold on a second, why does she have to tell _you_ her secrets?" Hikaru remarked.

"Because I'm her father, of course!" The twins gave him an identical deadpan expression in response.

"Uh-huh. Let's say we go along with this plan. Then what? That doesn't change that she's been acting weird lately. If anything, we should be watching her more." Kaoru began to address the proverbial elephant in the room. Hunny, seeing where this was going, took over for him.

"Yeah...I didn't want to say anything

about it, but I'm scared for Haru-Chan...especially because of how bad everything's been lately. I'm sure you all are too." He said seriously(or, as serious as Hunny could get). There was no doubt that the bad things he was referring to were the coma cases. Mori silently nodded in agreement with his cousin's thoughts, the other hosts murmuring their agreements as well.

"Well, I guess your right, Hunny-senpai. I'll admit, I'm a bit scared for Haruhi's safety too right now...But that's why we just have to stay on high alert and always be ready to act! We are the Ouran host club, after all." Tamaki said, surprisingly sincere.

Everyone felt a little reassured after that. Kyoya would never admit to it in a million years, but he certainly had a soft spot for the cross-dressing commoner. If any harm were to come upon her, not only would it affect him, it would affect all his club mates... dammit, all his _friends_ as well _._ And whether he'd admit it or not, whenever Tamaki was genuinely upset, it churned his stomach uncomfortably. So, logically, to prevent him and the others from any unnecessary suffering, he'd have to keep a close eye on Haruhi. After all, it gave him the excuse to continue to investigate her with no remorse.

With that in mind, the hosts finally began chatting about other things idly. Kyoya continued to silently plot from a distance, watching... _waiting._

* * *

_The next day..._

The host club found themselves in front of the apartment door, smiles on and in formation. Ringing the doorbell, they continued as rehearsed.

"Haruhi-chan, please come out and play!" As the door opened, they waiting in anticipation for their beloved friend. However, when the door revealed a groaning middle-aged man, they promptly froze.

"Sorry, we have the wrong apartment!" Tamaki called politely as they walked away.

"Hey, hey, wait a second!" Ranka followed them irritatedly. Rounding them all up, the hosts found themselves seated around a small table in the quaint apartment.

"Don't act so traumatized cause you've seen me without my makeup on.

Even trannies get stubble first thing in the morning, which is more than I can say for any of you." After a series of events, the hosts found out Haruhi had been taken by the Zuka club, and they quickly plotted a way to save her.

* * *

"Hey, will you wait a minute?!" A voice cried out, pushing away the three figures glomping her. The 3 Zuka club members were currently in an intimate embrace, with Haruhi in the middle.

"Stop it!" Haruhi demanded as she pushed Benibara and Hinagiku away from her, quickly doing the same with Suzuran. "Get off!" She took a moment to gather her wits.

"Now hold on! What is this?! Could someone explain it to me? 'Cause one moment, I'm on my way to the supermarket and the next I'm brought here."

Recalling how exactly she got there, she paused. It reminded her exactly of how the host club kidnapped her one time. "The three of you have about as much subtlety as the Host Club does." She thought aloud.

"How dare you, maiden?! We are nothing like those idiots!" Benibara declared as she flailed her arms around theatrically. _She's the epitome of what female Tamaki would be like._

"Oh, forgive my outburst! It's only natural for you to be upset, after all in our haste, we whisked you away this morning in your nightshirt." Benibara declared _on so woefully._

"Those weren't pajamas, you know. That happens to be the way I usually dress."

_Does rudeness just come with territory when you're rich?_ Haruhi thought. _No...Neko—I mean_ Umehito _is nothing like that. He's so much more...humble than other rich people I know._

She was thrown out of her musings when Benibara decided to speak again. "All theatrics aside maiden, we have a small favor to ask of you." Haruhi already knew whatever it was, she wanted no part of it. Today was a school holiday and she intended to spend it studying and getting groceries, not running around with the female version of the host club. She internally laughed as she thought of how the host club would react to her saying that. _They would get offended..._ she thought, amused.

As they explained how one of their actresses had gotten into an accident and was unable to perform, Haruhi still knew the answer would be no. She may have powers that mysteriously allow her to be good at lying, but no guarantee that'll help with her nonexistent acting skills, no matter how small the role was.

"I'll let myself out." She replied as she went for the door. She immediately stopped after hearing Benibara cry out in pure disappointment and anguish.

"Oh! Forgive me! I will forever fall short of your legacy! You must be so ashamed...oh, mother!" Haruhi completely stopped at that. _Does that mean...?_

"Benio..." Suzuran started.

"Don't talk like that!" Hinagiku continued for her.

"So then, your mother..." Haruhi trailed off.

"Benio's late mother was a distinguished graduate of Saint Lobelia Academy, prominent of the White Lily League

To this day it's said no woman looks lovelier in men's clothing." Suzuran explained tearfully. Haruhi felt the strings pulling in her heart as those words flitted around her head. _Late mother..._

"To honor her, we celebrate Pink Carnation Day with the same flair for pageantry that made the woman's name so enormous with the Zuka Club.

Her whole life, Benio has dreamed of nothing more than to follow in her mother's footsteps!" Hinagaku elaborated.

"If today's performance is canceled, that dream will be dashed against the craggy shores of fate." With each word, Haruhi felt her resolve weaken as she warmed up to the idea of acting.

"That sounds just awful..." she said empathetically, missing how Benibara perked up.

"It's just a few lines, right?" She finally relented. They each gave her a wide smile, a strange glint in their eyes.

_Oh mother up in heaven, what did I just get myself into?_

* * *

"Oh, Marianne, how many lonely nights have I prayed that we'd be together again and how many times are the powers that be demanded that we remained apart?

That our love is forbidden..." Benibara exclaimed passionately. A voice called back in response to her pitiful cry.

"Oh my lord Frederick."

Suddenly, as if hit by an invisible force, she gracefully collapsed onto the wood floor, crying out, "Oh! I'm slain by this fatal gunshot wound! Alas, I'm to draw breath no more."

"MY LORD FREDERICK," Haruhi said louder. As rehearsed, she bent down and held the tall girl in her arms, gazing down upon her.

"Marianne, with your arms holding me close, all this pain becomes not. I am overwhelmed with peace." She could faintly hear girls crying in the background as the background dancers came in. "Lovely angel, your gaze is my paradise and you are the very image of my beloved Mother."

_Wow, and here I thought my powers would make me a star actress,_ Haruhi thought distantly. _Even I can hear how bad I am— I wonder what the other girls think of this._

"My lord Frederick."

Just outside the window, a group of handsome men sat watching, groaning in discomfort.

"Can you see her? What is she doing?" Hunny asked, being too short to see inside.

"It looks as though she's playing the heroine of some sentimental tragedy," Tamaki replied.

"But..."

"MY LORD FREDERICK."

_She sounds like a robot..._ they all thought simultaneously. _A boring daikon radish..._

"Even as a father, I can't stand this." Ranka piped up.

As she repeated that line in (somehow) an even more monotone voice, Hikaru pleaded, "Someone, please make her stop."

"How many times is she going to repeat that line?!" Tamaki said, frustrated.

"I think she's about to start singing," Kaoru commented.

"No!" Ranka immediately protested. "Her grades in music have always been absolutely awful! It was the only thing she struggled with in school!"

—

Inside, Haruhi felt at ease. In the beginning, she was afraid they'd have her sing for real, but she quickly overcame that obstacle. She recalled what happened just a little while ago...

* _flashback*_

_"Here, maiden. These are the lyrics to the musical numbers you'll be starring in." Benio explained as she handed some papers to Haruhi._

_Haruhi began to sweat._ Musical numbers? _Did they truly expect her to sing? She decided to voice her thoughts. "Um...will I have to sing these for real, or will I lip-sync?"_

_Suzuran swiftly gave a reply. "Well, the previous actress recorded all the songs, and it's not like we can't expect you to be perfect since this_ is _your first show."_

_Picking up where she left off, Hinagaku said, "so it's completely fine if you just pretend like you're singing. It's encouraged, even."_

_"Oh, okay," Haruhi replied, reassured. Internally, the 3 women swooned at the cute expression Haruhi made._ 'She's just so cute!' _They thought similarly._

_*end flashback*_

So there she was, standing after the instrumental started up. She straightened her posture and tried to look as confident as possible.

As the music played in the background, she immersed herself in the sounds and vibrations. Closing her eyes, she could hear every guitar, every tap of the foot, and every drum tap. She could feel the sounds moving around her, _see_ the colors of each note playing around her.

' _Calm down, Haruhi,'_ she thought to herself. ' _It's not like you're_ actually _going to be singing. This is just—'_

_"_ Sinking...falling into despair," she sang softly. It took a moment for her mind to register that she had just sung out loud, no pre-recorded track in sight. ' _There must've been a mix-up with the CDs...I'll have to talk with the others later about this...'_ she rationalized.

_'What do I do for the meantime then? It would be too much trouble to stop rehearsal now, while everyone is already in position and the zone,'_ she thought, looking around the room as she sang. She thought she saw movement out the window, but she dismissed it, quickly falling back into her train of thought.

' _Well, it's like they say— the show must go on,'_ a mischievous part of her said in the back of her mind. She inwardly flinched at that, her inner siren coming to the forefront once more.

She decided the best course of action was to just roll with it. Besides, everyone was still under the impression this was the correct CD. _And_ she didn't sing yet today...so with that, she sang to her heart's content.

—

Outside, the 7 men were at a loss for words. Here, they were all expecting some Friday night drunk karaoke singing, and they were pleasantly surprised to hear the voice of an angel. The songs started slowly, but Ranka quickly recognized it.

Gasping, he uttered, "it can't be..."

"What's the matter, Ranka-san?" Kyoya, _ever the gentleman_ , asked.

"Kotoko...that was her favorite song." He smiled fondly, recalling distant memories. "I knew it came from a play, but I didn't think it would be the very same one Haruhi would be in years later." Suddenly he frowned, worried. "But the song was very difficult to sing. The vocals were very high and most of the notes were belted out. There's no way Haruhi could sing it..." they all turned their attention to the small girl singing in the room, refusing to believe such a voice could come out of her.

The song began to pick up, little by little until they were practically slapped in the face by her perfect belting.

All the men and even some of the girls inside paused at that. _No one_ was expecting to hear that. Even Benibara (who's character was supposed to be dead) sat up to get a glimpse of her.

They all watched, entranced, as Haruhi began to tap her foot to the tempo, her face becoming so much more expressive than they were used to seeing. Her eyes were bright and her posture straightened. She looked so _confident_ in that moment, a completely different person than they were used to seeing. She somehow smiled as the notes effortlessly poured out of her.

It was as though someone had put them under a spell, and they were powerless to get themselves out. They were paralyzed at that moment, unable to move (not that they wanted to).

The girls in the room, even though they knew (or at least thought) the song was pre-recorded, were in shock. Never before had they heard such a beautiful voice emanate from such a lively person. Not even the original actress had the same stage presence—and her singing sounded different here; While her voice was pleasant in its own way, it was nowhere near as powerful and controlled as what they were hearing now.

Haruhi was having the time of her life. Singing songs she associated with her mother always made her feel better, but no song had ever made her feel so _empowered_. She had goosebumps all over her body, and the siren in her was having a field day. As the words cascaded past her lips, she felt as though something within her was building up, waiting to be released.

She was so into it, she barely even registered how her body was moving. She moved along with the beat, so fluently and expertly you'd have thought she'd been doing this for years.

At one particularly soulful part of the song, she even went as far as kneeling, reaching a hand toward the window, belting as if there was no tomorrow. It was full of so much soul and emotion, the sun seemed to have shone brighter on her, and for one beautiful, breathtaking moment...the clouds parted casting a natural spotlight on her. Unnoticed by everyone but Ranka, the dust particles showing in the light took on the distinct form of a face— _Kotoko_.

With the way Haruhi was positioned, it looked as though she had a hand on her mother's cheek, and for a second he swore she looked right into the image's eyes. Ryoji felt tears cascade down his face. It was as though Kotoko was sending Haruhi her appraisal from above. _That's our little girl..._ he thought proudly.

Haruhi looked like a goddess for a moment, the glow of the sunlight illuminating her features, her wide, chocolate eyes piercing deeply into everything they saw. She looked so different, so _unlike_ the Haruhi they knew. This Haruhi was confident, charismatic, and outgoing. She looked like she could be the most popular girl in school—nothing like the tomboyish bookworm they were used to.

After what felt like an eternity, yet also a few seconds, the song finally came to a close, Haruhi draped dramatically around Benibara.

For a few seconds, everyone was silent. Then, came huge, roaring applause. Some girls had tears in their eyes, and some were outright crying.

"That was absolutely beautiful! Where ever did you learn to sing so amazingly?" One of the girls, who came in later on in the rehearsal, asked.

Haruhi inwardly grimaced and put on a mask of modesty. "Thanks, but that was the pre-recorded track. I was just lip-syncing." Outside, she thought she heard someone groan and fall.

"Oh wow, I never would've guessed! It just looked so real!" She replied.

"She's right, you know." Benibara cut in. "That was an awfully good act you put on there, maiden. Tell me, was that truly your first time acting?" She asked.

"Well...yes actually," Haruhi replied sheepishly. "I guess I'm a little better than I thought."

* * *

Outside, the boys had been completely fooled. Ranka was laid dramatically on the ground, twitching.

"She was just lip-syncing..." he whispered.

"My daughter...she was just _acting?"_ Tamaki asked slowly.

This prompted Ranka to momentarily drop out of his state of misery, foot on Tamaki's head. " _Whose_ daughter was acting?!"

"Yours, Ranka-san! Your daughter! Of course, as her father I have—"

" _HER FATHER?!"_ He all but screeched at the blonde idiot, who was now quivering in a corner.

"I guess even someone as talented as Haruhi can't have it all," Hikaru commented.

"Yeah, turns our Haruhi's not nearly as bad an actress as we thought." Kaoru. Suddenly, they both paused.

"So then why was her voice so monotone earlier?" They asked together.

"I'm assuming she was just warming up or something of the sort; Most likely, she was just taking her time getting into it," Kyoya rationalized.

"Still," Kaoru started.

"Who knew Haruhi had it in her." The twins commented offhandedly.

Before they could continue to chat idly, they were intercepted by a large group of girls with matching t-shirts.

"Hey, newbies! If you want to be a part of the Benibara fan club, you have to follow the rules! Now, up on your feet!" A scrawny girl with glasses called out.

They quickly gathered themselves, getting into formation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: sorry about the long wait on this one. Truth be told, I had it ready for a while but i wanted to double release it with another chapter, but I haven't finished writing the next one. I don't want to leave my readers with nothing for such a long time, so the next chapter should be out in maybe a week or so. Please comment what you think of this chapter, and stay safe!


	8. String Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruhi finds herself in big trouble when things go wrong right before the play.

_'Why did I agree to this again?'_ I thought.

I stood in the middle of a large room, my hair was done up and my face caked with makeup. Currently, I was waiting for someone to come up and bring me the outfit I would wear for the production.

As I was waiting, my thoughts drifted off to everything that happened beforehand. I had to admit, singing was fun earlier. But I'm surprised no one noticed I really _was_ singing... either I'm that good an actress or they're not very perceptive. Though what I find weird is that somehow my acting before the song was terrible, yet afterward, you'd think I'd been doing it my whole life. _I should bring this up to Umehito next time we talk_...we have a lot to discuss now that I think about it.

Finally, I snapped out of my reverie, hearing footsteps emanating from behind me. I turned around, and sure enough, there stood Benibara, holding a large pink gown.

"Your wardrobe, maiden." She said in her usual sultry tone. I took the gown in my arms, inspecting it.

It was large and gaudy, and certainly not well within my tastes, but I just grit my teeth and bared it. "Hey wait a sec..." I trailed off, looking at the elaborate corset that came attached, along with some other contraptions. "How will I put this on?" When I didn't receive an answer, I turned around, facing the other girl.

"Well, maiden..." Benio said slowly, as she walked to the door and closed it. "That's the thing." I suddenly heard a _click!_ emitting from the door.

She locked it.

"What is?" I asked, putting on my most pure expression.

"I've been tasked with aiding you in putting on your costume. I trust you're alright with that?" She slowly, yet confidently, walked towards me, her gait becoming more and more sensual. I continued to feign ignorance.

"Thanks, but, I thought one of the girls from the costume department would help me with this," I said, suddenly uncertain about the whole thing. I knew that Benio has a preference for girls and was openly lesbian, and while that's good news for the siren, it's bad for me. Unwittingly, I licked her lips. _Free meal~_ the siren in the back of my mind sang.

_No, we are not doing that. Get it together, Haruhi. Your next meal is in just a few more days, you can do this,_ I told myself. Besides, is it even possible to feed off a girl?

During my inner monologue, I didn't notice Benibara got even closer still, until after she pinned my back against the wall.

"What's with that look in your eye, maiden? Can it be that you've finally realized your passion may lay for those of the same sex? Or could it be..." she purred, running a finger down my jaw. "You've realized wherein your passion lay for _me_?"

My heart was pounding. _Just what is happening?_ One second I'm singing my heart out and the next I'm locked in a room, pinned against the wall. I unintentionally began to get flashbacks of being in this same situation many times before. _Though, this time, instead of being the predator, I am the prey_.

' _Reminds you of something~?'_ The siren sang, taunting me.

_'Now's not the time',_ I argued, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

Benio seemed to take that as a reply because she quickly followed up with, "then why are you giving me that stare, maiden? Your eyes are filled with such _lust."_ She bent down slightly, inching her lips closer to mine so that they were almost touching. "So tell me... _maiden,"_ she growled, "what is it that you desire?"

I was at a crossroads here. Again, (as it seemed in every situation like this) my inner siren would jump at a chance like this, to finally _feed._ But I, _ever the rational one,_ knew of the consequences my actions would bring me. _What do I do?_

"I want..." I trailed off, unconsciously moving closer.

"Yes, maiden?" Benio slowly closed her eyes...

_Food._

"Food _."_ I repeated, (though with the way I said it, Benibara may have heard it as 'you.')

Unaware of this miscommunication, we closed our eyes and leaned in. Benio was oblivious to the dangerous situation she had put herself in. ' _What was that about being the prey~?'_ Shut up.

Before I could even think to stop myself, we had locked lips and were in an intimate embrace. Benibara's lips were soft and tasted of strawberry, though that was soon replaced with something else. I tasted cinnamon on my lips— _8 years taken._

I expected to feel Benibara's dead weight in my arms any second now, and it quickly came. Since I was prepared, I didn't stumble with her weight, gently setting her down on the floor. My eyes landed on an empty nearby couch. _Perfect._

I picked up the tall girl, panting from the effort of dragging her to the couch. Now that that had been settled, I allowed myself to panic.

What did I do?! What if she gets into a coma now, with the play happening in just an hour?! She may be out for the whole day...! I suddenly froze, dread forming in the pit of my stomach. _That...and if they somehow link her to those coma cases..._ it'll all lead back to me! I could become a suspect...get arrested even! My scholarship would be revoked, heck, I'd be lucky if I could even land a job as a prison lunch lady at that point!

I started hyperventilating. _I need to calm down,_ I thought to myself. _I sound like Tamaki right now._ The mental image of my senpai running around fussing over stupid things got a laugh out of me.

Giggling, I relaxed, trying to find ways to work something out. _Mom always told me that to sort her thoughts out, she took deep breaths and counted to 10. Let's try that._

As I counted in my head, I heard something from outside the window. We were on the second floor, so it felt out of place. _Is someone watching me?_

Cautiously, I stepped over to the window I heard the sound from, careful not to make too much noise. I did so under the guise of casually walking to the chair that was nearby. As I approached the glass, I quickly whipped me head around to reveal— "A-ha!"

A cat?

The cat gave me a blank stare from its perch on a branch. It licked one of its paws and stood there, looking into my eyes. It was as though it was trying to tell me something. I took in its appearance— grey and white fur, striped, and had what looked to be a pink collar around its neck. I noted that was attached to a leash of the same shade. Its eyes, which were peering into my soul at this point, were a deep turquoise color. I'd never seen any cat like it.

It continued to stare at me like it wanted to say something, but the spell was quickly broken by some girl calling it down. The cat gave me one last stare, as if silently regarding me, then promptly descended, landing gracefully. _I wonder what that was about._

As I pondered over why the cat was on a tree close to the second story of a building, my mind went to the pink leash I saw attached to its collar. _That must've been a house cat._ I concluded. _Still, that leash reminds me of something...it looked almost like a ribbon there for a second._

Then, like a tsunami, it hit me. _Ribbon...ribbon... thread...string..._ my powers!

While I was dodging the hosts' suspicions, I could see strings attaching from myself onto them. If I concentrated hard enough, I could even pull on them. I know it seems like a bit of a stretch, but what if I could do something similar here? At the very least, it's better than doing nothing. _One question remains, though—how do I do it?_

I remember that I had exemplary vision while doing it, and it felt like I could see straight into everyone. I saw how Kyoya-senpai's breath hitched, how the minuscule creases in his clothes moved as he did, and I could even count the hairs on his head. I tried to imagine that feeling again, conjure up the image of my perfect vision, let it become all I saw, all I felt, _all I am_ , until—

I opened my eyes again. I could see it— it being _everything._ Last time I couldn't observe as much, but now I had the free reign to do as I pleased. I could see every individual ray of the sun caressing the surfaces of all it could touch; I noticed how every insect on the tree outside the window interacted, and I could even see an ant go back into its hole in the ground. For an astounding moment, I could even see inside the ground and into their ant civilization. I quickly brought my vision back up. _It's go time._

Slowly, I directed my attention to Benibara who lay motionless on the couch. _It's now or never._

With my (quite literally) piercing eyes, I gazed upon her form. Slowly, I located the pink strings emanating from her body, although this time, it wasn't just on her heart; they were attached to all her limbs. I experimentally pulled one of the strings, and her left leg moved. I did the same with one on her arm, and it moved. On the outside, it may have looked like I was just staring and limbs started randomly moving, but my mind was overworking itself trying to figure out a way to get her to stand up.

It was difficult at first; it was literally like trying to control a puppet for the first time. It was so complex and required so much thinking I wondered what use it would have in an emergency. Finally, I got her to stand on 2 legs, but it felt as though I was holding her weight on top of mine. My legs wobbled and she fell to the floor.

There had to be a more efficient way to do this. I was getting nowhere and the show would start in just 30 minutes. I could already hear bustling outside the door from the actresses getting their costumes and socializing.

I started getting more and more anxious, but then another thought occurred to me...actually that's a lie. It was not so much a thought, as much as it was an urge. _An urge to go closer to Benibara._

I took one step.

_An urge to hold her in my arms._

I took another.

_An urge to have her._

And another.

_An urge to—_

I kissed her cheek. It was as though something had possessed me for a moment, though I quickly recovered. Suddenly, it was like a puzzle piece had fallen into place and she stood. The reigns, which had once been complex and tied into a gordian knot, were 2 simple and straight ribbons. One was attached to her head, the other to her heart.

I first tugged the string on her head. She looked at me attentively, or, at least as attentive as a mind puppet could look. In my head, I conjured the mental image of her walking over to the coffee table in the middle of the room. She quickly did so, exactly as I thought it out. I imagined her tripping over on her way there, and she followed exactly.

It looked a little choppy at first, with me stopping periodically to make her next actions, but I quickly got the hang of it. I made her say 'hello' and 'maiden' along with other things. I wondered if I could make her teleport, but I was sorely disappointed. She just ran very quickly to get to where I imagined. It took some multitasking, but I could move her even while I pretended to hold a conversation. I could make her do flips and gymnastics, but she would get out of breath when I moved her too fast. I couldn't move her limbs in any direction they were not meant to go (lest I break them).

I concluded that I could control her every action with just my mind, all the while being able to control my own speech and actions. However, she was unable to exceed her physical limitations.

Satisfied by my observations, I committed all I learned to memory. _Umehito will be so excited..._ I thought happily.

I turned my attention to the only other string on her— the one on her heart.

Tentatively, I nudged at the string. I was startled as Benibara's eyes flickered open, looking confused by her finger being up her nostril, legs tangled up together strangely. "H-Haruhi? What happened?" She asked, abandoning her usual 'maiden.' I felt sick, almost like I just vomited. A disgusting smell reached my nostrils, but I kept my poker face intact. Vinegar and puke- _8 years given back._

"You said you wanted to show me something weird, though I can't say it was weird so much as _interesting,_ " I said, not missing a beat. She seemed to accept that as an answer, albeit perplexed.

"That strange, I can't remember any of what just happened..." she commented. Her eyes flicked over to the grandfather clocking the room, and she did a double-take.

"The production is in 20 minutes! I'm not even dressed, let alone prepped to go onstage!" She gathered herself, talking quickly. "I apologize maiden, but we're going to have to pick this up some other time. Find one of the girls from the costume department, they'll help with your costume." By the time she finished, she was already out the door.

So there I stood in an empty room, getting prepared for my first ever show _by myself._

It wouldn't have been as bad if I knew what I was doing, but I didn't. I messed up the petticoat, didn't tie the laces of the corset correctly, and somehow managed to tangle the hair extensions together. To put it lightly— _I'm a hot mess._ What could I do?

The dress was ruined.

Right after I thought that I directed my attention to another dress in the corner. There was nothing special about it; plain, one color, and it was not as poofy as the other dresses. But something about it _called_ to me, begging for me to put it on. I checked the clock. 15 _more minutes. I have nothing to lose. And it's not like the other dress will magically be fixed, so I may as well try this one._

Upon closer inspection, the dress, while not as gaudy as the others, was definitely not as plain as I initially thought. It was sparkly and glimmered kindly in the light of the room. It was a beautiful deep royal blue and its sleeves hung off to the sides. I realized that this was a mermaid dress—the irony was _not_ lost on me. It looked like it would be out of place with the other costumes in the play, yet fit right in at the same time.

I put it on with relative ease, but it was missing something. My eyes landed on the crumpled form of my earlier clothes on the chair. Rummaging through the pockets, I couldn't find what I was looking for— _mom's necklace._ My heart dropped for a second.

Now, normally, I would bring this necklace everywhere I went, and nearly never took it off. However, I stopped wearing it lately and somethings... _changed._ Whether or not it's because of the necklace I don't know, but I do know I've changed...somehow. Weirdly enough, it began to leave a bad taste in my mouth after a few minutes. Maybe it's better that I forgot to bring it this time. _Wouldn't want it to get lost._ I guess that worked out in my favor. I looked in the mirror. I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me because— "what the heck?"

My face was completely covered and _caked_ in makeup. I don't know how I didn't notice it before, but it looked terrible! Usually, I don't pay attention much to looks and beauty, and maybe it has something to do with being a siren now, but I could not let go of how bad this looked. Something was screaming at me to fix it. I found a quick solution.

Careful to not be seen, I made my way out of the room and to the makeup area. I had been stubborn at first and told everyone I would be doing my makeup, but I could see why they were reluctant to do so. _How did Benibara not say anything about this?_

My cheeks were overly pink and it appeared as though I had a black eye. The entire ordeal with Benibara and getting ready made me sweat a great deal, causing even further damage to the makeup. _I look like a child who put on their mother's makeup for the first time_. I smiled at the thought.

When I arrived, no one was there. _I guess they all moved to the stage area._ That's good news for me. Gathering some randomly scattered makeup palettes, I took off the brunt of it with a wipe. By the time I fixed it so that it looked natural, I found something very helpful: spare hair extensions. I didn't have time to style them into the pigtails that I was supposed to wear, so I just put them so that they were waist length.

When I was finished, I didn't recognize the girl in the mirror. Her hair was long and flowy, and her skin glowed. She was confident, strong, and beautiful. She looked... _nothing like me._

She smirked at me, giving me an eye roll. _Come now, can't you recognize our reflection~?_ She cooed in my head.

I didn't move, so how was it that my reflection showed something different? Or that voice in my head? I know _I_ didn't think that. Alarmed, I touched my face, trying to feel for a smirk, smile, _anything_. In horror, I looked in the mirror and saw my hand by my torso. I looked at my extended arm on my face and then to the mirror. And then my arm. And then the mirror. _What the—_

My hand was on my cheek, I could feel it, yet somehow my reflection showed my hand resting on my lap. I regained my wits, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. _It's just a trick of the light or a special mirror. Maybe it's part of the play; special effects or something...this whole siren thing is really getting to me._ I said mentally to myself. I felt a little ridiculous, it's just me. It's not like there's another person in the mirror or another voice in my head. I calmed down.

_Yes, wouldn't it just be_ iNsAnE _if there was another voice in your head? You'd have to go to the doctor, get that checked out._ Her voice got low and distorted when she said 'insane'. It was off-putting.

I tried to tune these thoughts out and continue with the task at hand. _What, no rebuttal? Am I losing my touch~?_ The voice continued to bother me. Terrifyingly enough, while I was completely still, the mirror showed me walking around, a smirk on my face.

I continued to ignore it. Obviously, it was a figment of my imagination, it had to be. Because if it wasn't...that would mean...

Suddenly, I caught myself in the mirror. My eyes...they were so... _enrapturing..._ I felt like I was being pulled in, but I couldn't look away. In my peripheral vision, I could see myself begin to smile mischievously, almost evilly. I tried to come back to my senses but it was too late. I was all of a sudden sucked into my reflection, all previous doubts gone. _All because of those eyes..._

I was trapped.

No, literally. I was trapped in the mirror. _She put me in here._ I realized. How she did it, I have no idea, but I now know this isn't my imagination. I could see my body on the other side, but I didn't have to copy its every movement. I could walk around on my side, but everything was reversed. It was like its own mirror world. _You'd think with being a siren with powers and all these things wouldn't surprise me anymore, and yet, here we are._

This got me thinking— was this voice (spirit(?)) a part of me, or was it part of the curse? And either way, how did she trap me in here? _Just what is going on?_

"Would you quit your worrying?" She complained in a tone even _I_ could hear was out of character for me. "You're fine, all I did was cast a little spell~," she giggled in a way that may be considered 'cute.'

" _Little_ spell? You trapped me in a mirror! I didn't even think that kind of thing was possible!" I yelled in disbelief.

"Helloooo? Have you been sleeping under a rock this whole time~? Ha! See what I did there? Rock? Underwater? _mErMaid siRen_?" She distorted her voice loudly for a second, getting very low and deep. She giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world. "This whole situation seems impossible to you, and yet this _still_ catches you off guard?" She sat down at the chair in front of the vanity mirror, resting her— _my—_ head in her hands. _This is confusing, is she me or something else entirely?_

"I'm you, _obviously,"_ she rolled her eyes. "Except you're the boring 'boo hoo I need to waste my life studying' Haruhi, while I'm the fun 'let's go have fun and go out to eat' Haruhi." She gave a big smile, and is it just me or do her— _my—_ teeth look _very_ sharp? Wait... _eat?_ A feeling of dread filled my stomach.

"Hey...whatever you're planning it better not hurt anyone. And trust me, when I find a way out of this, the first thing I'm doing is _getting rid of you."_ I told her threateningly. For a moment she looked at me, no amusement in her eyes. I'll admit, it was intimidating, seeing such a change of demeanor, but she regained her composure.

She laughed menacingly, in a deranged sort of way. "You're so cute! I would tell you why there's _AbSoluTelY nO wAy_ you can do that, but why ruin the surprise?" She distorted her voice again. We heard footsteps emanating behind us, and she quickly turned around.

"Hey, you there...Haruhi! There you are! Everyone has gone crazy looking for you!" A stagehand girl came up to her. "What are you wearing? That's not the costume you're supposed to— no... we don't have time for this!" I couldn't be happier. If I could just get her attention... I began to hit the glass separating us but the stagehand was too caught up in her rant to notice. I turned around and noticed her reflection on my side of the mirror. Without thinking, I tried to run over to her, but I hit an invisible barrier.

"The show starts in 5 minutes and that's _after_ we had to call an extended cleaning time in the auditorium! We're _stalling._ Stalling! You have to come with me right away!" Leaving no room for argument, she grabbed her— _me_ — and dragged my stolen body away.

Great. Now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this story! I know there wasnt much action with the boys, but trust me, with this new development there will be many ship moments to come. This whole trapped in mirror thing came to me while daydreaming, and I just had to add it. In case anyone was wondering, Benibara/Haruhi wont be happening, that whole thing was just to show that Haruhi can affect males and females alike. The next chapter may or may not have some ship moments, but from that point on, the drama only gets hotter. Happy reading and stay safe!


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